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Cup of tea with calendula, mint, kale flowers, adn chive straw

New Transitions at ¿uuqinak’uuh Grandview’s School Garden

As we say goodbye to students at ¿uuqinak’uuh Grandview’s School Garden, I am delighted to share the changes and transitions bringing renewed energy and inspiration to the garden for the upcoming school year.

For the last few years, Fresh Roots has been drafting and imagining how to integrate the ¿uuqinak’uuh Grandview School Garden program we have been stewarding into the fabric of the surrounding effervescent Grandview-Woodland community and Indigenous cultures. Those rooted in the local community are best poised to lead the programs to flourish and intertwine with the energy already there.

So, I am delighted to share that the school garden program funded by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is being passed on to Grandview-Woodland Food Connection. Specifically, Victoria Buffalo Robe and Ruth Elizabeth Briggs are welcoming the garden into their fold of other food security and Indigenous gardens they steward. A full list of their summer programs, including the Britannia Bulk Buy Food Club and Nature’s Helpers at the Nexway̓ s wa lh7áy̓ nexw (Transformed Life Garden) and šxʷqʷeləwən ct (One Heart One Mind Garden) can be found here. Sharlene Singh at SPEC has been instrumental in navigating this transition, sharing her experiences and insights teaching in school gardens.

We look forward to seeing the changes and depth of programming to come in the school garden, many of which have already started! Victoria has engaged the students in connecting with and learning from the land and plants, slowing down to observe, focusing on Indigenous foods and medicines, and social-emotional well-being outside. Sharlene has re-engaged the students in responsibility and respect for the garden, demonstrating that growing takes patience and care. And, there is more to come.

Victoria and I said goodbye and congrats to this year’s students through tea at the school’s Indigenous Day celebration. Victoria brought a mix of harvested medicine plants to make iced tea and warm tea, and students could add their favourites from the garden. Victoria also brought calendula petals, which she described as “all-around medicine for kids.” That’s exactly what the school garden is—medicine for the students, healing and nurturing them for years to come.

 

Thank you cards from students to Fresh Roots

 

Grandview Garden

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We Need New Farm Truck

Help us fundraise $25,000 to purchase a new farm truck before the growing season kicks off on May 1st!

So what happened to the truck?

For those just tuning into the truck saga, the beloved Fresh Roots farm truck went missing in September 2023.

After tapping into the power of social media and community, the truck was found in Mission and officially deemed by Abbotsford Police as having been stolen. The truck was written off, and we had to say goodbye to our trusty steed who served our community faithfully for over a decade.

Not ideal, but with the support of our amazing donors (like you!), we will persevere.

Will you join us with a donation to help us purchase a new truck?

Our goal is to raise $25,000 by May 1st.

Link to Donate

How can I help?

  1. Make a one-time or monthly donation to Fresh Roots

  2. Spread the word by sharing this fundraiser

  3. Start your own community fundraiser

The truck is a critical link in our farming operations that connects our community and youth to food and opportunities to grow on our schoolyard farms, so we invite you to join our fundraising efforts.

Thank You!

A farm truck is a crucial part of our schoolyard farms that holds a legacy to serve our community for many seasons to come.

Thank you for your generosity.

https://fundrazr.com/FreshRootsTruckFundraiser

We are a charitable organization and are happy to issue you a tax receipt for your donation of $10 or more. If you would like to donate via e-transfer funds can be emailed to accounts@freshroots.ca or join our Taproot Network our special group of monthly sustaining donors providing foundational and ongoing support. Our charitable number is 844249680RR0001. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch by emailing info@freshroots.ca.

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Announcing… Make It Monthly!

Hello community!

We wanted to let you know about a new monthly donation campaign in March and invite you to participate exclusively on CanadaHelps: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/freshroots/

Monthly donations are a great way to make a big impact and help us achieve our goals for the year. With your help, we reduce administrative costs and provide foundational, reliable, and ongoing income we need to purchase items like seeds and compost for the schoolyard farms and plan and deliver programs throughout the year. Monthly donors also receive access to Taproot Network perks and events, like film screenings, seeds, and exclusive raffles. And for a limited time, CanadaHelps can help increase the impact of your gift.

Throughout March, create a new monthly gift of $20 or more in support of our charity through CanadaHelps, and CanadaHelps will make a one-time extra $20 donation to our charity!* You read more about the full terms and conditions here.

As an additional bonus, new Fresh Roots monthly donors that join on CanadaHelps from March 1-31 will also receive a $25 Indigo giftcard from us as a thank you for supporting kids and youth learning on our schoolyard farms (while quantities last).

Please consider creating a new monthly gift of $20 or more through CanadaHelps to support our charity. Your donation will help us achieve our goals and make a big impact. Thank you for your support!

*Make It Monthly 2024 is a bonus donation program where CanadaHelps will donate to a participating charity an additional $20 for each new monthly donation of $20 or more and CanadaHelps will donate an additional $10 for existing monthly donations that are increased by $10 or more beginning March 1st, 2024 at 12:01 AM Newfoundland Standard Time (NST) to March 31st, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) to a maximum aggregate amount of donations from CanadaHelps to all participating charities of $50,000 CAD. See full terms and conditions: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/make-it-monthly-terms-and-conditions

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Help! Fresh Roots is Urgently Seeking a Cooler Space in Vancouver

Hello to all Fresh Roots’ wonderful friends & community partners,

I’m reaching out today to ask for help. We have had to vacate our cooler space and need a solution ASAP so that we can operate our market and CSAs this season starting May 15th, 2024. Without a cooler, we may have to cancel and refund our commitments. 

Since our options on our growing sites are limited, we are reaching out to our community to see if there are any other opportunities.

We need a cooler to help keep our weekly harvest by our farm team & youth fresh for the community. Without a cooler, we limit the amount and quality that we can harvest and process in a shorter amount of time, as well as put our farmers and youth at risk by limiting when things can be harvested, especially in the summer heat.

There are two directions we can explore:

  1. A temporary solution: this season starting in mid-May to Oct. 31 to hold us over until we arrive at a permanent solution.
  2. A permanent solution: ongoing, multi-year agreement or set-up for a cooler space that fits our list of needs.

Our Needs

  • 4-6 pallets worth of refrigerated space
  • Flexible access with our own set of keys
  • Located in East Van – ideally within 2 km north of Vancouver Technical Secondary (2600 East Broadway) and 2km south of David Thompson Secondary (1755 East 55th Ave) but we are welcoming suggestions beyond that area.

We are open to:

  • Sharing/renting space
  • Retrofitting a container with a coolbot system or hiring someone to invent a mobile cooler
    1. This option requires a place to park our unit and;
    2. Electricity / Solar Panels (are you an electrician with experience with this kind of thing?)
    3. Possibly also a water hookup, even just with a long hose to an indoor area

Help us save our markets and CSA’s this season, keeping our harvested veggies fresh, but also our opportunities for youth this summer!

Thanks for the time you’ve taken to read this over. If you have resources that fit any of these parameters, we are eager to connect. My contact is listed below. We can pay, trade, share, promote — anything — we just need somewhere to house our veggies through the summer!

Fresh Roots community! We need your help to find our next cooler space.

Contact

Camille Flanjak (she/they)

Director of Farming and Operations

Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society

ph: 778-764-0DIG (0344), ext. 111

camille@freshroots.ca

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Fresh Roots is looking for Board Members

The Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society Board is growing! We are looking for new Board members to share their talents and insights to support Fresh Roots in its mission to cultivate educational farms and place-based programs where youth develop healthy relationships with food, land and community through growing and sharing food that nourishes themselves, their communities and the planet! 

The Fresh Roots Board provides oversight through three lenses: strategic (setting priorities and monitoring performance), generative (big picture questions and future-focused thinking) and fiduciary (stewardship of assets and accountability). 

 

Qualifications

We value a positive and constructive Board culture and seek members who will contribute positively to the Board’s functioning and dynamics. All Board members must demonstrate the following characteristics:

  • Care – for Fresh Roots, the team, each other and the communities Fresh Roots serves
  • Collaboration – appreciates that the best ideas and outcomes come from collective brainpower
  • Openness – approaches ideas and opinions with an open mind and a view to understand
  • Contribution – willing to dive in and get it done; low ego and high energy
  • Commitment – committed to thoughtful preparation and showing up to do the work 
  • Justice Lens – is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion as they relate to systemic oppression, racism, and barriers to access within the food system 

There are a variety of relevant skills and experience that add value to the Fresh Roots Board. We appreciate that a balanced Board has a breadth and depth of expertise and seek individuals that bring experience in one or more of the areas outlined in our skills matrix, and in particular, the following:

  • Finance – broad finance expertise, ideally in a non-profit / social enterprise environment; CPA designation an asset 
  • Fundraising experience with diverse and innovative fundraising approaches
  • Governance – board experience and governance knowledge; interest in board leadership an asset
  • Lived experience – firsthand experience as an individual / community member served by Fresh Roots (e.g., youth, former program participant / alumni, parents, educators, knowledge keepers)

Fresh Roots is committed to ensuring our Board reflects the communities we serve. We strive to ensure a diversity of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences are represented on the Board, including ethnicity, gender, age, geography and cultural background. We acknowledge we are not there yet and are committed to bringing new voices and perspectives to the Board. 

 

Expectations

All Board members are expected to:

  • Commit to the mission and vision of Fresh Roots
  • Contribute in the areas of governance, strategic planning, finance, program oversight, and resource development (human and capital)
  • Make a meaningful and appropriate financial contribution to the organization that works for you
  • Prepare for and attend quarterly Board meetings
  • Join and actively participate in at least one Board committee
  • Support special events as required
  • Act as an ambassador of Fresh Roots 

 

Commitment

The Board typically meets quarterly. Directors are expected to read all materials in advance and come prepared to contribute thoughtfully to discussions. Board members may be asked to attend ad hoc meetings and/or support specific initiatives and events between regular meetings. 

 

Recruitment Process

Please apply by March 15, 2024 with a resume and a short response with the following questions to BambooHR: https://freshroots.bamboohr.com/careers/69

  1. What do you hope to gain from being a Fresh Roots Board member?
  2. What do you hope to contribute as a Fresh Roots Board member?
  3. What specific skills and experience do you bring in the areas identified above?
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We are looking for our next Executive Director!

Dear Community,

It is with deep gratitude that we share the news of Alexa’s departure as Executive Director. Alexa has been the roots of Fresh Roots for the past three years, bringing stability, sustainability, and focus in a time of change and uncertainty. The Board is grateful for her steady hand, her warm and welcoming leadership, and the energy she brought to the amazing work of Fresh Roots. Thank you, Alexa.

As we look to the future and the next 10 years of Fresh Roots we are excited to see where Fresh Roots will go. We are energized by the opportunity for leadership renewal and are excited to go through a thoughtful process to find our next Executive Director to take Fresh Roots into the next decade.

If you are excited about the opportunity to create spaces for young people to come together to learn, grow, share, and celebrate food we want to hear from you!

Please take a look and share the Executive Director Job Profile with your networks.

With sunshine,

The Fresh Roots Board of Directors

Thank you, Alexa!

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Announcing our ‘Raise The Roof’ Fundraiser

We need your help to raise money for new tent covers for all of our harvest stations & more! Donate here: https://give-can.keela.co/raise-the-roof-fundraiser

Why are we fundraising?

This past year has especially been tough for Fresh Roots. From fundraiser cancellations to ongoing theft, our schoolyard farms have been especially hit by all of the elements, causing unforeseen serious damage that falls short of our insurance coverage. Tents are an essential item when working and running programs outside, all day, everyday. They provide shelter from rain, sun and everything in between! 

Part of the impact of wind at the harvest station at the Van Tech schoolyard farm.

The aftermath of the snow that brought down the Suwa’lkh harvest hut.

The melted harvest station and tote containers after the sudden fire outside of David Thompson Secondary School.

What are fundraising for?

  • At the start of the year, the heavy weight of the snow tore down our Suwa’lkh harvest station. By spring, the strong winds ripped through our Van Tech harvest station.
  • Most recently, our David Thompson schoolyard farm was deeply impacted by an unexplained fire that was started outside of the school after hours. Although we are grateful that nobody was hurt in the incident, the fire left our harvest hut and supplies in unrepairable damage including several melted totes.
  • After many seasons, our market tent has also become seriously leaky and our programming tent is limping along but beyond good repair.

Throwback to our Purposely Team Build where organizations came together on Earth Day to harness the power of community!

Thanks to community donors like Dayhu Group of Companies for supplying our kids and youth with new tools and gloves to keep up the learning opportunities.

HELP US RAISE THE ROOF! Our goal is to raise $6000 for new farm supplies:

  • 3 x $1500 to replace large harvest covers = $4500
  • 2 x $400 to replace broken tents = $800
  • 15 x $20 to replace melted tote containers = $300
  • Additional losses = $400

Your Impact

Our harvest stations are an integral part for our farm-based learning. They provide cover from weather for our farm team and youth participants to safely and comfortably process harvested food. We are hopeful that with the help of the community, we can RAISE THE ROOF for our schoolyard farms to get the extra repairs they need.

Raise the roof for kids & youth!

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CANCELLED – Fresh Roots Schoolyard Harvest Longtable Dinner

We are sad to announce we have cancelled our beloved Schoolyard Harvest Longtable Dinner for this summer. Thank you for being part of our community and to many of you for reaching out, purchasing tickets, and spreading the word about the event.

Unfortunately, many factors and forces contributed to higher event costs and low ticket sales and we just were not able to sell a minimum number to give us confidence that we could raise funds through the event.

We have gained valuable insights from this experience, and we are excited to get creative with our amazing supporters and partners to explore new possibilities for delicious and celebratory fundraising events in the future!

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FRESH ROOTS AT RISK OF CANCELLING FUNDRAISER: ‘SCHOOLYARD HARVEST LONGTABLE DINNER’, HAPPENING JULY 6TH

FRESH ROOTS AT RISK OF CANCELLING FUNDRAISER:
‘SCHOOLYARD HARVEST LONGTABLE DINNER’, HAPPENING JULY 6TH

Purchase your tickets now for the ‘Schoolyard Harvest Longtable Dinner’ benefitting
Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society’s youth programs 

 

Vancouver B.C., June 21, 2023—After a 3-year hiatus, Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society is excited to be bringing back their most anticipated and critical fundraiser of the year: Schoolyard Harvest Longtable Dinner on Thursday, July 6, from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. However, this previously quick-to-sell-out summertime event is already at risk of being cancelled due to slow ticket sales. Fresh Roots relies heavily on this event to fund Fresh Roots’ youth programs which empower young people to connect with both their community and the food on their plate. Celebrating nature’s bounty on the verdant farm grounds of David Thompson Secondary School, Schoolyard Harvest Longtable Dinner is an elegant, chef-prepared multi-course, seated dinner made with locally sourced ingredients from the charity’s schoolyard farms and community partners, and paired with an open bar of wine, beer, and other beverages. Tickets are $250 for adults, and include food, drink, live music and farm tours!

 

“This year’s event is a special celebration of the 10th anniversary of Fresh Roots’ first schoolyard farm,” explains Alexa Pitoulis, Fresh Roots Executive Director. “It will be an unforgettable culinary evening on the oasis of our urban farm—all in support of farm-based learning and leadership for kids and youth across Metro Vancouver.”

 

The evening will begin with cocktail hour at 5:30pm. Guests will choose between craft alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages accompanied by a grazing table composed of locally produced ingredients and the best of the season’s local harvest. During cocktail hour, guests are encouraged to mingle and wander through the lush schoolyard farm to experience the work of Fresh Roots firsthand at the peak of golden hour. Knowledgeable staff and former youth participants will be eager to offer farm tours and tell guests about their personal experiences with Fresh Roots.

 

At 6:30pm diners will take their seats to indulge in a locally-focused multi-course meal prepared by Governor General’s Award-winning Chef Robert Clark, and Chef Julian Bond (Organic Ocean Seafood), Chef TJ Conwi (Ono Vancouver), acclaimed Pastry Chef Fumiko Moreton (Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre), and Chef Derrick Sibayan (Holts Café), plus beverages from Ward’s Cider, Persephone Brewing Company, and Edna’s Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Company.

 

All funds raised at the Schoolyard Farm Longtable Dinner benefit Fresh Roots’ youth programs. Over the past decade, Fresh Roots has embarked on an inspiring and transformative journey, empowering young people to become food citizens and land stewards. Participants learn how to grow and sell food through planting, harvesting, and working at farmer’s markets. They develop valuable farming and entrepreneurial experience while also nurturing their self-confidence and ability to work effectively as a team.

 

Partners of Fresh Roots 2023 Schoolyard Harvest Longtable Dinner include: Organic Ocean, Windsor Meats, Persephone Brewing Company, 33 Acres Brewing Co., Edna’s Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Company, Wards Cider, Wize Iced Tea, Ono Vancouver, KPU Richmond Farm, UBC Farm, Cropthorne Farm, Terra Breads, Earnest Ice Cream, TMRW Foods, Spread ‘Em Kitchen Co., Legends Haul, KMComms, plus additional generous partners to be announced in the days to come.

 

Schoolyard Harvest Longtable Dinner tickets are on sale now via Eventbrite.

 

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Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society

GROWING FOOD GROWING COMMUNITY! Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society envisions a world where everyone has access to healthy food, land, and community. This non-profit organization works to cultivate engaging gardens and programs that catalyze healthy eating, ecological stewardship, and community celebration. Fresh Roots helps schools and school districts across Metro Vancouver grow community through growing food. Working with a variety of partners and clients, it utilizes school gardens to provide opportunities for inquiry-based and cross-curricular learning, volunteering, leadership development, and job skills training that animate school communities across the Lower Mainland.

 

Website:  freshroots.ca

Facebook: @freshrootsfarms

Instagram: @freshrootsfarms

Twitter: @freshrootsfarms

 

Program & Media Contacts:

Alexa Pitoulis

Executive Director, Fresh Roots

alexa@freshroots.ca | 778-883-2599 

Katharine Manson,
Media Relations, KMComms

katharine@kmcomms.com | 604 318 9690