Our Vision & Mission

Urban Roots envisions a thriving food system cultivated by youth and community that is sustainable, equitable, and just. To achieve that vision, our mission is to work with youth leaders to grow fresh food and build a community dedicated to achieving food equity

our story

The only farm-based youth leadership organization in Austin, Urban Roots has been working with youth leaders and nourishing our community for more than 10 years. Urban Roots started in 2008 with just 15 teenagers and one field as a project of a youth development organization, eventually becoming an independent nonprofit in 2011. Based on urban farms in East and South Austin, we serve teens and young adults through paid learning opportunities that focus not just on farming, but also on their growth as leaders and ability to be agents of change.
YOUTH PROGRAMMING

our Work

Urban Roots works to create a just food system by cultivating an environment where youth leaders and nutritious, culturally relevant food can thrive. On our farms, youth leaders grow food in service to others, distributing thousands of pounds of nutrient-dense produce to those in Austin that experience food insecurity or hunger. We like to think of it as creating a just food system one youth leader at a time. Our programs are designed to build community around the land and the nourishment it provides and to support youth participating in our programs to grow as leaders and to advocate for positive change in our food system. Each year we provide paid internships and fellowships to 75 young people, ages 14-23. They work together with 1,000-plus community volunteers to harvest between 25,000 to 35,000 pounds of fresh food annually. We work with partner organizations to distribute the food through home delivery, mobile markets, pop-up markets in low-income housing complexes, neighborhood food pantries, and through organizations that provide prepared meals. Finally, we host educational farm tours for school aged children, who engage in learning games and get their hands dirty as they experience where their food comes from, which may mean planting seeds or nibbling a freshly harvested carrot.
SEE OUR IMPACTVOLUNTEER WITH US

our team

Lucas Askew

HEAD FARMER
Jenny Atmar

Jenny Atmar

FARM ASSISTANT
RENAE BILLIOT

RENAE BILLIOT

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT

Micaela Buda

STEWARDSHIP & DATABASE COORDINATOR

Sydney Corbin

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM MANAGER

FRANcES DEVINEY

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Paulina Frias

FINANCE AND OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Jacob Grob

FARM OPERATIONS MANAGER
PILI GYASI

PILI GYASI

PROGRAM COORDINATOR

IAN HUNTER-CRAWFORD

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

MELISSA LAUREL

GRANTS MANAGER

Eric Maxson

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Claudia Reyes

FINANCE AND OPERATIONS ASSISTANT
SHAINA SMITH

Shaina Smith

VOLUNTEER MANAGER

K. Angel Horne

INTERIM MARTKETING AND 
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Volunteer leadership

Board of Directors

Michele Freeman, Board Chair
Notley

Paul Stanley Mannie, III, Vice-Chair
The University of Texas at Austin

Carol Gormin, Board Secretary
Community Volunteer

Erin Fohn, Board Treasurer
Victory Dog Branding + Marketing + Communications

Charlie Chadwell
Cirrus Logic

Cat Duong
H-E-B

Sergio Negrete
Catellus Development

Adam Orman
L’Oca D’Oro

Anthony Sobotik
Lick Honest Ice Creams

Victoria Villarreal
VRV PR

Design by  STAV Creative
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