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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

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Vancouver Magazine September/October 2022

Link to full magazine online: https://issuu.com/canadawidemedia/docs/vanmag-septoct2022_lr?fbclid=IwAR0DZmVjyDtnumPN-m9zsH7Z7y6eXAKQumbibPVMuB5CrYZt_N8w2DFBCsk

Vancouver Magazine September/October 2022

Published on 

Engaging articles, reviews and stories all about Vancouver. Vancouver Magazine informs, guides and entertains people who engage with the city. Mixing quality journalism and service-driven pieces, it chronicles and reflects Vancouver’s emergence as a dynamic international city.

Page 24:

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Schoolyard urban farming (BC Farmers’ Market Trail Stories)

BC Farmers’ Markets | June 2, 2022

Link to YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StEN-ZHDIgM&t=11s

“We get a deeper sense of where our food comes from by being able to grow it.”

A breath of fresh air from life in the big city, urban farming is an important part of local food production. Located in the city of Vancouver, this Story from the BC Farmers’ Market Trail features Fresh Roots Urban Farm founders Gray Oron and Ilana Labow who strive to make sure their communities are provided with fresh food. Since 2009, the members of their urban farm society have been working directly with schools to teach youth about where a career in food production can take them.

Meet more local farmers, makers, and artisans at City of Vancouver Farmers’ Markets: https://bcfarmersmarkettrail.com/regi…

The BC Farmers’ Market Trail proudly showcases 145+ authentic BC Association of Farmers’ Market members across British Columbia. Dedicated to helping local food thrive, the BC Farmers’ Market Trail is your route to fresh, local, in-season food and artisan goods direct from the farmers who produce them.

Follow The BC Farmers’ Market Trail:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bcfarmersmarket
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BCAFM
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bcfarmersmarket
Website: https://bcfarmersmarkettrail.com

#BCFMTStories #BCFarmersMarkets #ExploreBC

Click the image below to check out the segment!

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FARMER’S LOG, SEED DATE JUNE 1, 2022

Hey’all! I am relieved to be behind my screen, caffeinated and ready to dive into my Monday office hours at Fresh Roots HQ, here at Norquay Park. I feel equipped (actually, #blessed) with a team of incredibly talented farm workers this spring, who I trust are tending our fields with skill, love and care so I can fill our readers in about what’s popping up this spring. 

2022 has been a bumpy start with low temperatures, tonnes of precipitation, and no farm staff through April and the start of May. This is because Galen, the Fresh Roots Program Manager, who usually supports with the essential prep and seeding before our summer staff are onboarded, ended their tenure with Fresh Roots on April 1st. This outstanding individual is not only a skilled and dependable earth-tender, but was also my biggest ally and supportive voice for the farm department at the multi-faceted, densely programmed, non-profit machine that is Fresh Roots.

Because this important set of hands was missing, I put the call for help out to the team and had some very productive days when people were able to make it out. We got about 60% of the bed prep and planting done that needed to get done, which is at least double what I would have been able to accomplish alone. It’s of incredible benefit that several of the core team went through the SOYL program and even did internships, so they have the muddy experience to apply to transplanting in the rain. I think it’s unique that Fresh Roots gets all its core team out to the farms to do lifting once in awhile- regardless of people’s titles. I’m not sure if all our Job Descriptions say this, but they definitely should – that there will always be opportunities to get dirt in all fingernails if you’re part of this team. 

A highlight this spring was SOYL spring break in mid-March. It was heartwarming to see some of last summer’s SOYL participants come back to help out. This year we had a big project: to tackle our ever-flooded zone D at Van Tech. Together with myself, the Site Manager (Gray), and Galen at the program helm, the SOYL Spring Break Participants transformed the swamp into a productive block of bordered, raised beds and moisture-wicking woodchipped paths. It was an incredible transformation and only took the crew 2 days. Despite the torrential downpour we were working in, the team kept spirits high and even took dance breaks and vogue walks to maintain the vibe. Infused with queer-lovin’ dance moves, this zone will be an entirely SOYL-managed space through the summer where we will hone in on their agricultural skills from building, bed-prep, seeding, transplanting, and harvest. This means that any kale or chard you find in your CSA box or purchased from our farm stand this summer will be 100% produced by the SOYL crew. I think that’s pretty outstanding. 

From some pretty huge team builds of 50+ folks, to an internal team blitz at the Norquay sharing garden, across all departments, Fresh Roots has been revitalizing the spaces we tend all spring, beyond just bed prep and seeding. As we onboard more and more youth to work this summer, our faces diversify and so does our focus. Through the summer, I’ll continue to share stories and reflections about the farm but if you’d like to stay abreast of all the other wonderful things the organization gets up to, follow the blogs from Kat, the Fresh Roots Experiential Learning Manager, as well as the featured blogs from YE and EL facilitators, and many other members of our evolving team. 

– Farmer Camille

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Farmer’s Log, Seed Date October 1, 2021

Welcome to the final month of operation for the 2021 Fresh Roots Farm Season. This month we are undertaking lots of soil TLC so we have a nice, healthy biome in the spring, ready for our seeds and transplants. The only thing we actually plant this late in the season is Garlic. This year we will be filling an entire block (that’s 10 x 45ft beds) with lots of juicy amendments then planting the whole area with Russian Red Garlic. We’ll top them off with foraged seaweed and 6 bales of hay so they have a nice store of nutrients dissolving into the soil all winter until they decide to sprout up in the spring. There are a few beds we will leave to overwinter – like kale, chard, chicory, and a few other brassicas – but the rest we will amend and cover with silage for a nice winter nap. 

October is pretty solidly booked with school field trips on the farm. I’m hoping the youth will witness our system of putting the beds to sleep as a meaningful learning. It’s not just about smothering everything with big sheets of black plastic – it’s about protecting our soil from leaching and weeds all winter long so that we have an easier time in the spring. 

This month also closes out our final markets – October 13th is the last CSA Pickup as well as Market at the Italian Cultural Centre and October 23th will be the final market with VFM at Riley Park. Once our markets are shut, we clear the fields of any veggies that are left and either sell direct to restaurants or donate to local food hub programs. Right now I’m working on a partnership with David Thompson Secondary for a student-led program called the “Free Store” to get our donated veggies into students’ homes over the holidays. Otherwise we try to get our veggies into the weekly boxes at South Vancouver Neighbourhood House, or the low-cost market at Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House.

Most of our fruiting vegetables have completely died back. That means no more eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, or peppers. We have some straggling last beans which is kind of shocking to me, but they’ll only last another week or two before they rot in this fall rain. Our flowers are melting off their stems while broccoli and Gailan pump out their last straggling sideshoots so we can bundle them up as broccolini for our final CSA Veggie Box. The transformation of the farm from a beautiful, buzzing production zone into a state of decay is marvellous to me. It means it’s time to slow down and introspect – and it’s so healthy to take stock of what needs work. Looking forward to doing the same for my own damn self, especially in light of this new holiday commemorating one of the Calls to Action for Truth and Reconciliation. 

With production out of the way, Piper and I will be able to focus on winterizing and tidying up the farm. I am so excited to have a clean slate this spring and looking forward to some possible new toys like a rolling flame weeder and a fancy tiller – that’s what I’m asking the Fresh Roots’ Santa for this Christmas, anyway. Another big wish on my list is for more weekday volunteers in 2022 to help us tackle weeds on a weekly basis. With changes in our programming, our SOYL participants weren’t able to support us at our site at David Thompson. This meant the farmers who are dedicated to cultivation had to divide their time between maintenance and seeding; I bet you can guess which task got priority.

That’s pretty much October for Fresh Roots’ Farm team in a nutshell – looking forward to slowing down and taking stock in the months to come. Thanks for a wonderful summer season!

-Farmer Camille