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ABOUT US
This is the space to introduce visitors to the business or brand. Briefly explain who's behind it, what it does and what makes it unique. Share its core values and what this site has to offer.
MISSION
to create a regenerative food system that holistically advances health, education, and cooperation.
VISION
We envision a food system that holistically cultivates nourished communities and restores harmony with nature.
Athena S. McKay, MSA is a nationally recognized community engagement strategist and research scientist whose work focuses on the connection between health, food systems, technology, and community participation. With more than 15 years of experience partnering with communities across Michigan, Athena serves as a bridge between academic institutions, public agencies, and local organizations working to strengthen food access and community well-being.
As Program Manager for Community Engagement at the University of Michigan’s Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research, Athena helps guide statewide initiatives that support community-informed research and practical solutions to complex health challenges. Her work includes designing and implementing community-based research, supporting multi-site projects, and translating data into action that benefits local communities.
Athena is also the Executive Director of Flint Innovative Solutions, where she has led more than $1 million in funded initiatives focused on food systems, technology access, maternal health, and community capacity-building. She co-leads regional food policy efforts and is a founding member of the Multicultural Food Sovereignty Network, where she works alongside growers, organizers, and residents to advance locally driven food strategies.
Athena brings a grounded, systems-focused perspective on how food ecosystems, health, and technology intersect—and why authentic community engagement is essential for lasting impact. She draws on real-world experience, research, and collaboration to inspire audiences to rethink how partnerships, data, and local leadership can shape healthier, more resilient food systems across Michigan.
Devon Wilson is a Battle Creek native, urban farmer, and food justice advocate. He is the Founder and CEO of Sunlight Gardens, a thriving two-acre organic urban farm in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Battle Creek, Michigan. With more than a decade of experience in agriculture, Devon is a graduate of Michigan State University’s Organic Farmer Training Program and has built his career at the intersection of sustainable farming, equitable food access, and community empowerment.
Devon serves as Vice President of the Michigan Farmers Union and is a fellow of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Community Leadership Network, recognized for advancing nutrition education and addressing food insecurity through innovative, community-centered solutions that confront systemic inequities.
Under his leadership, Sunlight Gardens has grown into more than a farm. It is a dynamic community hub providing fresh, locally grown produce while hosting educational programming, public events, and community dialogue. Devon’s work strengthens healthier communities and drives progress toward a more equitable, resilient food system across Michigan and beyond.
Deeply Rooted Produce (“Deeply Rooted Enterprises LLC”) is a zero-waste mobile grocery store prioritizing the distribution of high quality local produce & value-added products without sacrificing quality for price. Deeply Rooted Enterprises LLC is a certified Minority Owned Enterprise and is pending the certification of Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Enterprise.
Our long-term vision is to create a self-sustaining zero waste mobile market where we not only distribute and produce fruits & vegetables, on-site butchered meats that we grow & harvest but assist other BIPOC farmers in farm business readiness at our site. We would like to serve as an incubator and learning center for other young farmers, chefs, and food makers to create products, package and merchandise them on site, and distribute them all by the same company on the same street—limiting liability, touch points, and food travel time prior to getting to the customer. We would like to continue to embrace cyclical and innovative food production methods like aquaponics and underground greenhouses.
With the funds, we plan to establish two aquaponic gardens in hoophouses on site. By implementing this system, we will decrease water waste in these on-site methods when it comes to produce processing. All water goes back into the aquaponics system is self-cleaned by the plants in the system while the fish get what they need and the waste from the fish help the plants get the nutrients they need. We see the value and the must to grow our own food from vegetables to poultry to fish. Once we complete our aquaponics system, we plan to host educational classes on how to create a system, harvest fish and spawn (shrimp) from the system and how to create a cyclical ecosystem for food growing crops and marine life to co-exist as it does in nature. We will plan to particularly engage mothers and children so that the knowledge that we spread is deeply rooted and impacts generations. Additionally, we would like to implement horses and other animals on our site(s) and implement agrotourism in a way that celebrates the systems that we have created, but we must create those systems first.
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