Curb Appeal on Courville
When Tabitha Mendez moved to her house on Courville eleven years ago, it was vacant and forlorn, like almost every other house around her. But she was no stranger to adversity and vowed to persevere. Indeed, she has.
Tabitha was born and raised in Southwest Detroit in a troubled family. She left home at 15 and lived in her car while attending Southwestern High School. Patching together a few jobs, Tabitha survived on milk, eggs, and tortillas.
She insists she couldn’t have made it through those hard times without the kindness of a few adults – Joaad Bazzi, a local farm market owner in Southwest Detroit, Tim Michalak, a caring high school teacher, and the members of Vinewood Church of Christ, who nurtured her faith and determination.
Tabitha was eventually able to earn a decent living and buy a small home in River Rouge. Years later she was living on Grosse Ile when “God called me,” she said, “to move back to the city.”
She bought the vacant lot next door and began to create Mendez Farms. She had been inspired to garden, she says, by Mr. Bazzi, as well as her mother, who was an avid gardener. Tabitha reconciled with her mother as an adult and remained close to her until her passing a few weeks ago.
On Mendez Farms you’ll find herbs, squash, corn, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, raspberries, blackberries, and grapes. At the back of the lot are a variety of trees growing apples, pears, cherries, and plums.
Tabitha is also a certified beekeeper with three hives housing 80,000 bees. “Sally is my favorite,” she joked. She plans to extract their honey later this month, so perhaps you’ll see another story about that later in The Morningsider.
Her eight chickens do all have names, and she introduced me to each one as they came out of the coop to enjoy their afternoon treats. There’s always a supply of fresh eggs in the milk chute at the side of the house for neighbors to take. “I want to give back what was given to me,” Tabitha says. Whatever she and her family don’t use, she gives away. “All my neighbors know they can get food here, but they’re not greedy.” Neighbors leave messages of love and gratitude in chalk on the brick next to the milk chute. Tabitha’s neighbor Glenda helps her collect the eggs each day.
Tabitha said she’s considering turning Mendez Farms into a non-profit so that she can expand her reach and help more people.
When she isn’t gardening or working long hours with her company, Savvy Advertising Solutions, Tabitha volunteers with Kids-TALK Children’s Advocacy Center, which provides a wide range of “services for children up to age 17 and their protective family members who have experienced abuse.” She also volunteers with Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, Mitch Albom’s Say Detroit, and Detroit Play Center. She’s also a motivational speaker for Women of Inspiration. Wherever she goes, Tabitha shares the story of her journey to help others navigate their own difficult path.
No one leaves Tabitha’s house emptyhanded. I came home with a dozen eggs, a jar of honey in the comb, a bunch of green beans right off the vine, and an inspiring story.
