As the oldest boy growing up in a large family in Granger, Utah, Jim was responsible for the family garden. That experience served him well after he was married and he and Eleanor (Knapp) had an all-girl family of 5. They saved money and ate healthy by growing some of their own food wherever they lived.
In the mid ‘70’s, following President Spencer W. Kimball’s counsel, Jim began a serious study of gardening. He met Jacob R. Mittleider, who was creating the Sandy Stake Welfare Farm garden and teaching LDS families throughout northern Utah procedures for greatly increasing their yields. Jim worked extensively with Dr. Mittleider over the years, including personal training in Jim’s own “Mittleider” garden adjacent to the giraffe exhibit at Utah’s Hogle Zoo.
By 1998 Jim had spent time working with Jacob on a University agriculture program in Russia, as well as assisting him at Thanksgiving Point, in Lehi, Utah for several months. He also worked with Dr. Mittleider in creating a greenhouse, garden, and training program at the Weimar Adventist college in California.
In the fall of 1998 Dr. Mittleider, who was a devout Seventh Day Adventist, was finally convinced after more than 20 years to have Mormon Jim Kennard carry on his work, and he turned his body of work over to Jim with the challenge to help people wherever he could.
Jim then created the Food For Everyone Foundation, established a website, digitized all of Dr. Mittleider’s books and training videos, and since that time gives his full-time efforts to the Foundation. He has conducted humanitarian gardening training projects in Turkey, Madagascar, and Colombia for the Church, and worked with USAID and others in Armenia and Georgia.
He and new wife Araksya conduct free half-day gardening seminars for groups wherever scheduled, and count their blessings in the thousands of friends they have made throughout the world.
