Save the date for the 10th annual Urban Roots Tour de Farm: The Farmer + The Chef + The Village on May 11, 2022 from 6-9 p.m.! You’re invited to an inspiring gathering that will feature a conversation with our community about food and food access led by Urban Roots youth leaders. Join us for an evening showcasing young voices of change and a delicious chef-crafted, farm-to-table dinner. Tickets will go on sale in April, and in the meantime, sponsorships and table sponsorships are now available! Contact Development Director Eric Maxson at eric.maxson@urbanrootsatx.org to learn more. Stay tuned to this page for future updates!
The event will include Distant Relatives modern African American food and a plant-strong menu sourced from Urban Roots farms. The menu will be paired with delectable items from the Meanwhile Brewing taproom and local artisan food and beverage makers. The benefit evening also includes:
– a South Austin Farm tour with an artisanal food tasting and signature cocktails;
– a performance by singer and soulwriter Ray Prim and his band;
– Chulita Vinyl Club ATX spinning the cocktail hour – El Disco es Cultura!;
– an auction and raffle; and
– lively yard games and great conversation!
This is an outdoor and COVID-conscious in-person event.
Stay up to date with Urban Roots by subscribing to our newsletter. Follow us on social media @UrbanRootsATX on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Save the Date: Amplify Austin is set for March 2 – 3, 2022! Between now and then, Urban Roots is amplifying youth stories that speak to the transformative power of food and farming. Urban Roots youth learn and practice the tools of effective leadership while growing fresh food for neighbors in need. We hope their stories will educate, resonate and inspire you.
This Amplify Austin Day, we’re inviting our community to invest in future leaders by helping us raise $15,000 to support the work of this summer’s youth farm programming. One youth’s chapter at Urban Roots can turn into a lifetime of leadership for our community. With your support, we can continue to uplift youth and support their leadership growth!
Gifts at every level will support leadership development by covering program costs from seeds to youth participation awards and help us expand our impact as we continue to grow on our South and East Austin farms. For more information on our Amplify Austin Day or to make your gift early, click here or visit amplifyatx.org/organizations/urban-roots-atx.
Each summer, the farm program unites a diverse group of 36 youth to learn and grow on the Urban Roots Farm. Young people age 14 to 17, many living in systematically under-resourced communities in Austin, spend 6 weeks strengthening life and leadership skills, building a unique, nourishing connection with food, and working hands-on to increase food access in our community.
Through the summer farm program, each youth has the opportunity for a transformational experience spending hundreds of hours on the farm, harvesting thousands of pounds of sustainably grown produce, participating in dozens of interactive workshops and cooking classes, and serving our neighbors in need through donating vegetables and volunteering at hunger relief agencies. Each program activity focuses on transferable life and leadership skills, personal health and wellbeing, and food justice values and knowledge that will stay with them for a lifetime.
Will you make a gift today in support of the 2022 summer farm program?
Stay up to date with Urban Roots by subscribing to our newsletter. Follow us on social media @UrbanRootsATX on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Featured Image Photographer Credit: Lauren Slusher Photography
This month we’d like to highlight the efforts of our wonderful partner, Farmshare Austin and their incredible Fresh for Less program. Urban Roots is honored to continue our long-time partnership with Farmshare Austin via this program, which allows us to get our food to those who need it!
Farmshare Austin is an inspiring organization which is growing a local food system focused on equitable, healthy values while promoting communal food access and cultivating new farmers. In partnership with the City of Austin and Sustainable Food Center, the Fresh for Less program offers reduced-cost, fresh veggies to community members in need in over 20 Austin area zip codes, right to their door. They remove common food barriers, like transportation or time constraints, and they accept SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks, cash and credit card and offer free delivery!
Heather Sin, a Fresh for Less customer, describes her experience with the service as “invaluable after an accident left me non-ambulatory mid-pandemic lockdown,” and that Fresh for Less “has given me, and probably others, a sense of dignity and value that is sadly lacking for many disadvantaged people.”
Since just August 2021, they’ve helped us get over 2,200 pounds of our produce to their customers with their Fresh for Less Curbside Delivery and Mobile Markets! With Fresh for Less alone, they help over 300 customers per month. When asked about the partnership with Urban Roots, Farmshare Austin Executive Director Andrea Abel shared, “By providing their delicious, healthy farm-fresh produce, Urban Roots directly contributes to ensuring farmers’ market quality produce at accessible prices to our low-income customers in the Eastern Crescent of Austin and Travis County.” We’re proud to work with a program so focused on ensuring affordable, quality food to our community. Urban Roots Executive Director Frances Deviney said it best, “this program truly aligns with our organizational mission to nourish our community and we’re proud to support this incredibly valuable program!”
Learn more about the program, the mobile markets, and curbside delivery offerings on their website, www.farmshareaustin.org.
Photos Provided by Farmshare Austin
Stay up to date with Urban Roots by subscribing to our newsletter. Follow us on social media @UrbanRootsATX on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
As a part of our work, we get the pleasure of connecting with partners that make it a point to support their community and make a positive difference! One of our longest and closest partners is ThunderCloud Subs. We are so appreciative for their ongoing support over the past 12 years!
When asked about why they began their support of Urban Roots all those years ago, ThunderCloud Sub owners Mike and Jeanie Haggerty shared, “We were taken by the enthusiasm and high level of engagement of these interns at Urban Roots. We believe in this outdoor experience and its ripple effect through the community. As Austin continues to grow, this is one opportunity that engages interns with nature. It helps cultivate an appreciation of the natural world and helps feed their souls.”
If you’re not familiar with the long-time Austin-favorite business, ThunderCloud Subs began in 1975 and is “a neighborhood sub shop with a rich tradition of serving fresh, fast, and healthy food in a casual atmosphere” (ThunderCloud Subs). They believe in “a simple yet logical philosophy of selling a fresh meal at a reasonable price… When you come into a ThunderCloud Sub Shop, you’ll experience the creation of a great sandwich.”
We are so honored to partner with such a great organization! Thanks to their support, we are able to continue our work to cultivate leadership skills through food and farming to transform the lives of young people and inspire, engage, and nourish the community.
Photos Provided by ThunderCloud Subs
Stay up to date with Urban Roots by subscribing to our newsletter. Follow us on social media @UrbanRootsATX on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Connecting with like-minded organizations that put people first and make a positive impact on their communities has always been a great outcome of planning our signature event of the year, Tour de Farm. This year, one of those organizations was Farm to Table.
When asked why they support Urban Roots, Farm to Table’s Director of Operations & Purchasing, Sam Lash, said, “Farm to Table supports Urban Roots because we’ve always been a company that has prioritized people since day one. While Urban Roots is an organization based on farming, more importantly it’s a positive force for people and impacts them in a profound life changing way. So yes, for the obvious farming connection we support Urban Roots. But what we’re continuously inspired by is their commitment to change people’s lives in such a positive way.”
“Farm to Table is committed to supporting Texas farmers, ranchers, producers, and food artisans to forge a stronger food system in our local community which we care so much about. Since 2008 we have been the connection between local food and the best restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, and workplace food providers in Texas. At our root, we’re foodies who have always been passionate about food and where it comes from. Nothing makes us happier than sharing our love for food with others,” shared Lash. Farm to Table’s dedication to forging a better food system is inspiring!
We were honored to partner with such a great organization! Thanks to their help, we are able to continue our work to cultivate leadership skills through food and farming to transform the lives of young people and inspire, engage, and nourish the community. Thank you, Farm to Table!
Photo Provided by Farm to Table | Photo Credit: Mika Locklear | Photo of VRDNT Farms in Bastrop, TX
Stay up to date with Urban Roots by subscribing to our newsletter. Follow us on social media @UrbanRootsATX on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Earlier this summer, Vital Farms sponsored the 2021 Tour de Farm event to celebrate the accomplishments of Urban Root’s young leaders. We’re so grateful for Vital Farms’ support, and their commitment to raising awareness and funding that will allow us to expand our impact in the years to come.
Vital Farms’ purpose is rooted in a commitment to “conscious capitalism,” which prioritizes the long-term benefits of all stakeholders (farmers and suppliers, customers and consumers, communities and the environment, crew members and stockholders). As an Austin-based company with strong ties to agriculture, Vital Farms has been a great supporter of Urban Roots, helping local youth build their leadership skills through farming and food.
Our partners at Vital Farms share the following message:
“Our mission is to bring ethical food to the table. As a certified B-Corp brand that offers a range of ethically produced pasture-raised products like eggs, butter and ghee, we do everything we can to improve the lives of people, animals, and the planet through food. Whether it’s giving hens year-round outdoor access, supporting over 225 small family farmers in the pasture belt, enabling you to trace your eggs back to the farm, or debunking misleading animal welfare claims, you can always trust Vital Farms to provide high quality standards – from ethical treatment of the environment and animals to being transparent about their practices. Vital Farms products can be found at over 17,000 stores nationwide and on restaurant menus across the country, including Austin favorites like Tacodeli, Easy Tiger and The Peached Tortilla.”
Thank you Vital Farms for your incredible sponsorship of Tour de Farm. With your support, we successfully raised $131,000 at the event for our youth leadership programs!
Urban Roots is excited to announce that our mixed vegetable shares are back this spring! Our mixed share program not only supports Urban Roots and our ongoing efforts to nourish our community, but it also creates opportunities for underserved youth to discover their power and effect real change in our shared communities. Every item included in Urban Roots’ mixed shares is lovingly grown with care by our Youth Leaders, Community Crew volunteers, and staff right here in Austin. Please consider supporting Urban Roots by purchasing a mixed share today!
Urban Roots Mixed Vegetable Share Options:
– Small Mixed Share (2 Adults) $20: The crops in a small share feed about 2 adults. You will receive 1 bunch of herbs plus 4 crops freshly picked by our farmer OR 5 units total.
– Large Mixed Share (3-4 Adults) $35: The crops in a large share feed about 3 to 4 adults. You will receive 2 bunches of herbs plus 4 to 8 crops freshly picked by our farmer OR 10 units total. Please note that when crop variety is limited you will receive 2 units of 1 crop.
Ordering Details:
– Shares contain a variety of the freshest vegetables available each week and can be purchased by the week in limited amounts.
– The final crop list will be emailed to you prior to your pickup date.
– Mixed shares are now available for purchase on the following dates. More dates will open up each week and will continue through early July: April 2nd, April 9th, April 16th, & April 23rd
Pick Up Details:
– Pickup will take place from at 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. each week at the Urban Roots Farm, located at 7651 Delwau Lane, Austin, TX 78725.
– We lovingly pack our shares according to current health and food safety standards. We ask that you wear a mask and strive for a contact free pickup. Please drive up to our farm and do not pull in. There will be someone on our driveway to greet you.
Stay up to date with Urban Roots by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on social media @UrbanRootsATX on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Urban Roots would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every person who made the second installment of the Urban Roots Let’s Get Cooking video series possible! We were incredibly fortunate to have raised almost $18,300 via this event! This event wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing sponsors, chefs and restaurants, box partners, customers, donors, Urban Roots youth, the Urban Roots Community Crew, and our dedicated staff!
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to all of the Urban Roots Youth who participated in the 3-part video series. We appreciate Micayla, Rae, Gerardo, Jeff, Melanie, Rodolfo, and Audrey for sharing their stories and gracefully guiding us through the videos!
A huge thank you to everyone who purchased a meal kit and to all who made a donation! Your donation and/or participation allowed us to continue our mission to cultivate leadership skills through food and farming to transform the lives of young people and inspire, engage, and nourish the community. Thanks to Made In, we were able to offer a prize drawing for a beautiful custom engraved 8-inch Chef’s Knife with the Urban Roots logo for everyone who purchased a meal kit and made a donation to the event! Jeffrey is our lucky winner of that drawing, congrats!
We are beyond grateful for the generous Let’s Get Cooking Sponsors, Box Partners, Chefs and Restaurants!
– Chef Tiffany Derry of Roots Chicken Shak
– Chef Alma Alcocer of El Alma
– Chefs Todd Duplechan and Jessica Maher of Lenoir and Vixen’s Wedding
Last, but not least, thank you to our videographer, Kyle Decker!
Our Sincerest Gratitude,
Urban Roots
Follow us on social media @UrbanRootsATX on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Urban Roots is pleased to share the final video in the second installment of the “Let’s Get Cooking” video series! Learn how to make a delicious Spiced Carrot-Butternut Squash Salad by Chef Todd Dupelchan and Chef Jessica Maher of Lenoir and Vixen’s Wedding in this cooking video tutorial (you can also view the video on Instagram TV). We’re so grateful for our generous sponsors for making this video series possible: Vital Farms, H-E-B, and Thundercloud Subs. With this easy-to-follow tutorial, you’ll be sure to win best dish of Thanksgiving dinner this year!
Thanks to all who purchased this week’s meal kit! We’re also thankful for all our incredible box partners who helped complete the kit, and to Milk Run for offering free delivery. This week’s meal kit includes:
Happy Eating,
The Urban Roots Crew
Video by: KyleDecker.com
P.S. Help support Urban Roots by making a donation! Do it by today, November 25th, and you’ll be entered to win a Made In Chef’s Knife.
