H.R. No. 621
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Ivy L. Walls of Houston is being honored with a 2025
Outstanding Texan Award from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus;
and
WHEREAS, The owner of Ivy Leaf Farms, Ms. Walls is dedicated
to improving the health of her fellow Sunnyside residents; she
became a third-generation farmer after earning her bachelor's
degree in biology from Prairie View A&M University and beginning a
career in the medical field; during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was
employed as an infection preventionist by the Memorial Hermann
Health System; she understood the importance of good nutrition in
battling illness and recognized a serious need in Sunnyside, a
USDA-designated food desert in which few residents had ready access
to a grocery store with fresh produce; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Walls started growing vegetables in her
parents' backyard to give to neighbors; finding great satisfaction
in that endeavor, she began cultivating five acres owned by her
parents and quit her job to establish Ivy Leaf Farms in 2020; using
her entrepreneurial skills, she launched a GoFundMe on social
media; she also received a $10,000 grant from a joint initiative by
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and the NAACP; building community
connections, the farm hosts events and offers opportunities for
neighbors to get in touch with nature and learn about sustainable
growing practices and nutrient-dense foods; in addition, staff
members visit schools to help set up community gardens that will
encourage interest in agriculture among the next generation;
Ms. Walls cofounded Black Farmer Box, which provides locally
sourced produce to food desert residents, and then Fresh Houwse
Grocery, a bodega-style business that features the products of
local farmers and serves as a neighborhood gathering place; and
WHEREAS, Through her vision and commitment to improving the
well-being of her fellow Houstonians, Ivy Walls has set an
inspiring example of civic-minded entrepreneurship, and she is
indeed deserving of special recognition; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Ivy L. Walls on her receipt of a
2025 Outstanding Texan Award from the Texas Legislative Black
Caucus and extend to her sincere best wishes for the future; and, be
it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Walls as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Simmons
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 621 was adopted by the House on April
17, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 130, Nays 10, 2 present, not
voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House