Instagram story viewer> @bethezen22> Tagged

Zealous Empowering Nurturer Inc

@bethezen22

1.8K

followers

888

following

Zealous Empowering Nurturer, Inc a nonprofit organization that believes "Growing With Purpose" can change the community.
📍 Charlotte, NC

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

🌱 HELP US BUILD THE FUTURE OF COMMUNITY FOOD ACCESS!

W.E. Farmacy & Care is growing! Our vision is to upgrade our current pantry into a W.E. Curbside Pantry Station, starting in the Springfield community of Charlotte's District 3.

Our next goal is to expand into West Boulevard and other communities experiencing food access challenges.

With your support, we can provide more fresh produce, groceries, household essentials, improved food storage, and community resources to families in need.

We're not just stocking shelves. We're building stronger, healthier communities!

💚 Help us reach our $5,000 fundraising goal!

Donate or share our GoFundMe:
https://gofund.me/3d7c4d9f2

W.E. Farmacy & Care
Rooted in Community. Growing Together.

🌐 www.wefarmacycare.com

Donations are not represented as tax-deductible.

#WEFarmacyAndCare #CharlotteDistrict3 #SpringfieldCharlotte #WestBoulevard #FoodSecurity

8

0

One of the weirdest things I've ever seen is people literally camped out for the grand opening of a "new" grocery store in Charlotte -- @wegmansclt. This must be the white equivalent of how Black folks line up for the "new" Jordans (which get recycled every so often).

Economic growth is good, but what good is it if it does not benefit & empower people who are in true need of it? Ain't that how community works?

🟩Original map drawn by @elevatorjay ✊🏿❤️

🟩Captions conceived, lived & spoken by constituents & penned by yours truly.

🚨Also, make sure you go vote and register to vote if you haven't already.

564

14

Don't just host an event. Create an experience your guests get to take home 💐✨

Your vision. Your celebration. Your Bloom Bar.

Introducing the Queen Bouquets Bloom Bar, a luxury, interactive floral experience, thoughtfully customized to your celebration. Guests can choose their favorite blooms, create something beautiful, and take home a little piece of the moment ❤️

What started as a vision two years ago is now a reality, and I’m so grateful for everyone who has supported Queen Bouquets along the way. This is only the beginning!

Now booking birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers, weddings, corporate events & more.

📍 Charlotte, NC | Travel available

Inquire today to customize your Bloom Bar, comment Bloom! 💐🫶🏽

Save this for your next event or share it with someone planning a celebration!
#vendorlife #shoplocal #bloom #charlottenc #fyp

28

0

🌿 A Pathway Built by Community, for Community! 🌸

What was once a simple patch of ground has been transformed into a beautiful, welcoming pathway connecting our garden and greenhouse!

Featuring stepping stones decorated with colorful artwork by children, this pathway is more than just a place to walk it’s a celebration of creativity, collaboration, and community.

A huge THANK YOU to our incredible corporate volunteers and dedicated garden volunteers who rolled up their sleeves, put in the hard work, and helped bring this vision to life! 💚👏🏽

And a very special shoutout to Keep Charlotte Beautiful @kcb_clt for supporting projects like this that help us transform ordinary spaces into beautiful, inviting places for our community to gather, connect, learn, and enjoy nature. 🌎🌻

Projects like these remind us that community gardens are about so much more than growing food. They’re about growing relationships, creating opportunities, inspiring creativity, and building spaces where everyone feels welcome.

Every stone tells a story, and every helping hand makes a difference.

Together, we’re growing something beautiful!

#KeepCharlotteBeautiful #CommunityGardens #CharlotteNC #VolunteerAppreciation #communityengagement

23

6

CLTivate Community is a free event from the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. It was held Wednesday, Oct 14, 11 am to 1:30 pm, at Legacy Union (620 S. Tryon St).

It’s a one-stop chance to meet dozens of local nonprofits and find ways to volunteer, and no registration was needed. Their tagline is “Come curious. Leave connected.” This was only its second year, and last year it was at Truist Field.

Thank you to the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance for bringing us all together, and to everyone who stopped by our table to say hello. Family caregivers hold so much up. We’re here to care for them. 💜

Want to be part of FMF?! Link in bio. Join our monthly meetups. 💜💜💜

#CLTivateCommunity #CareForTheCaregiver #FamilyCaregivers #CharlotteNonprofits #CLTCommunity

14

2

Come along for a very FULL Wednesday with Kristin.

It started very early, with coffee in hand at 5:27 a.m., before heading to Community Matters Cafe to squeeze in some work, grab breakfast, and unexpectedly run into SVP Partner Sam Sanders from RSM.

From there, it was off to the CLTivate Community Nonprofit Fair. We loved seeing so many familiar faces from the nonprofit community, including ZEN, Families Forward Charlotte, and The Election Hub. We were grateful to have SVP Partners Raj Merchant and Lou Jerome there helping out as well.

Then came caffeine round two before the GardHouse SoCap Soiree, hosted by Will and Christi Farr.

One very full day, a lot of great conversations, and plenty of reminders that this work is really about people, relationships, and showing up for the community.

Grateful for all of the SVP Partners, friends, nonprofit leaders, and GardHouse interns who were part of it.

#svpcharlotte #adayinthelife #executivedirector #nonprofit

8

1

Thank you @clt_alliance for creating this event! A great opportunity to connect with community members, local nonprofits and genuine leaders for social impact 🫶🏾

35

4

This past Sunday was truly special 💐❤️

A heartfelt thank you to ZEN @bethezen22 and all of the amazing vendors who were part of this special day. It was such a joy to be surrounded by so much talent, creativity, and community, and the beautiful work the organization is doing to bring so much nurturing to our Charlotte community.

A big thank you to @lovelylexis12 @jslayy___ @casstheflowerchild for helping see this vision to life and your encouragement.

hair slayed by @hairbylai_ 😍

As I reflect on this moment, I can’t help but feel incredibly grateful. What once started as an idea is becoming something real, and seeing Queen Bouquets’ bloom bar come to life at my very first event is a moment I’ll never take for granted.

Thank you to everyone who has supported, encouraged, and believed in me along the way. Every share, kind word, and opportunity has helped bring this vision to life, and this is only the beginning.

Here’s to growing, creating, and bringing more beautiful floral experiences to life with 👑 Queen Bouquets.

#foryou #charlottenc #bloombar #floralbar #shopsmall

55

31

For the past three weeks, our students have been working so hard to get our school garden looking right again, and we couldn’t be more proud of them! 🌿

They’ve rolled up their sleeves and gotten their hands dirty:

🌿 Explored the outdoor garden spaces
🏡 Cleaned and reorganized the greenhouse so we can make better use of it
🪴 Cleaned out ALL of the garden beds
🌱 Refreshed the soil and prepared the beds for a new season
🥬 Planted fall transplants and seeds
🗑️ Picked up trash and helped beautify the entire garden area
💪🏾 Worked together to bring THEIR garden back to life!

And yes…we still have some work to do! 😂 But what has impressed us most isn’t just how much they accomplished. It’s the PRIDE they take in their garden and their school.

A huge THANK YOU to @bethezen22 for sharing your knowledge, guidance, and passion with our students throughout this process. 💚 Your expertise has helped our Titans understand not only how to care for a garden, but why it matters.

We’re not simply teaching students how to grow food. We’re teaching them responsibility, teamwork, environmental stewardship, patience, and what it means to take ownership of the spaces around them.

🌿🥕🥬

19

0

My heart is FULL 🥹💚🙏🏽

As I reflect on One Night of ZEN: From the Soil to the Soul, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for every person who has believed in this vision and helped us continue Growing With Purpose.

To our Leadership Team, our Board, sponsors, donors, partners, volunteers, supporters, and every individual and family who participates in our programs....THANK YOU🤗💚 None of what we accomplished this year would be possible without you.

2026 has been an incredible year for ZEN. We grew our garden and our programs, won awards, expanded our Mobile Market, distributed more fresh food into our community, invested in our youth, strengthened our Food 101 programming, purchased our Mobile Market truck, continued developing our Teaching Kitchen, and created even more opportunities for people to learn, grow, eat healthier, and connect. 🌱🥕🚚💚

But what makes me most proud isn't just how much ZEN has grown...it's WHO we are growing with and WHO we are growing for.

And believe me… we are not done‼️‼️

2027 will be about going deeper and farther to expanding our Mobile Market, activating our Outdoor Teaching Kitchen, strengthening our garden infrastructure, reaching more families, educating more youth, and continuing to build a healthier, more connected community.

One Night of ZEN reminded me that this organization was never meant to be built by one person.

It takes a community to grow a community💪🏾

Thank you for believing in ZEN.
Thank you for believing in me.
Thank you for growing with us.

2026 showed us what was possible.
2027… we’re just getting started. 🌱✨

With love & gratitude,

April Booker
Founder & Executive Director

#OneNightOfZEN #GrowingWithPurpose #BeTheZEN #CharlotteNC #FromTheSoilToTheSoul

227

88

That’s a wrap on ONZ: From the Soil to the Soul ✨ 🌱 @bethezen22 annual fundraiser

When we started planning this event, we wanted the theme to embody what ZEN genuinely symbolizes:

Community. Connectivity. Education. Nourishment - (of the mind, body and soul)

Attendees felt that yesterday crafting at @teastinctures247 Smudge making station. They felt it when they picked a beautiful bouquet with @thequeenbouquets . They tasted it when they tried @yourculturedchef live cooking demo stations…. THAT BRISKET 😍 They saw it through the artistry of @makaylabinter_ ‘s live painting and they heard it, through beautiful poetry, awards and testimonials from the ZEN team.

Experiencing all of the elements of wellness brought to life yesterday, before everyone’s eyes was the mission! @mrs35s , @jslayy___ - I would say the mission was successful! 💕 I love yall and being on team ZEN! ✨

Shout out to the best team!!! ✨

Planners: @casstheflowerchild @mrs35s @jslayy___
Venue: @pleasantgrovefarmclt
Bartending team: @wakecoffeeco
Caterer: @yourculturedchef
Florals: @thequeenbouquets
Herbs/ Smudges: @teastinctures247
Videography/ Photography: @tlezz_media
Photobooth: @poseitupclt
DJ: @ilikedjspike
Artist/ Painter: @makaylabinter_
Poet: @hopeslovegarden

Until next year ✨

63

20

It was an honor to attend @bethezen22 's fundraising event.

Have you been to Zen yet? Every other Sunday at the Keith Family YMCA, they bring the garden straight to your kitchen, and it's so much more than a market. 🥕🍅
✨ What makes Zen different:
🐝 Their own bees and compost
🚫 No pesticides, ever
🥗 Fresh produce and meal kits
👩🏽‍🍳 A chef on-site so you can taste before you buy
🌿 An herbalist on hand
🚌 A mobile market bus for neighbors who can't make it to the market

📚 Classes for everyone:
👧🏾 Kids learn to cook and garden
🧑🏽‍🌾 Adults learn to garden, with personal plots available
👵🏾 Classes for seniors
🎉 They even host birthday parties!

💚 Their mission: to reduce food insecurity, encourage healthy eating, provide personal gardening spaces, and get fresh, nutritious produce to community members in need.

📅 THIS SUNDAY (Oct. 11): Live cooking classes AND free fresh produce giveaways! Bring the family. 🙌🏾

👉🏾 Follow @bethezen22 and sign up for their emails so you never miss a market day, class, or giveaway.

Save this post and Tag a friend who needs to check this out! 👇🏾

#CharlotteNC #QueenCity #CommunityGarden #FarmersMarket #EatLocal

56

19