GROWING ROOTS
Growing Roots is a Pomona, CA based 501(c)3 non-profit established in 2017 whose mission is to strengthen community and increase food access to residents of the Pomona Valley through urban agriculture.
Panorama of Pomona from Downtown
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Our VisionGrowing Roots vision is to invigorate the region with an abundant and resilient local food system that allows people to exercise their food sovereignty by sustainably growing their own food. Through urban agriculture and educational programs, we aim to empower people impacted by food apartheid to regain the confidence to grow their own food and sustain their own communities. In this way, we promote personal, social, and environmental health in our communities. We believe that nutritious, local, and sustainably grown food is a right and not a privilege.
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Our RootsIn Roman mythology, Pomona is the goddess of fruits and fruit trees - Let's cultivate her legacy. Why not take advantage of vacant lots in Pomona that have been unoccupied for years if not decades. Why not grow food on rooftops and take advantage of the long summers. Let's create green edible spaces where our communities can grow roots, share food, and improve our well –being.
Walking around downtown Pomona, CA you are in a lively concrete jungle. Cars stop and go as they drive to the heart of the city, traffic pours in and out from LA and the inland empire. Many fast food restaurants provide a convenient and cheap meal to those waiting on the bus and the person that managed to scramble change for a burger. |
Image from our vegetable bed workshop in September 2018
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Around the corner of Monterrey and Garey Ave, there lies a green space amidst so much grey - Center Street Community Garden.
While studying Plant Science at Cal Poly Pomona, I walked those same streets and saw beyond the buildings and the crime - I saw community and a lot of empty lots.
After conducting a soil contaminant study at Center Street, I decided to stay and voluntarily maintain the community plots, while building close friendships with plot holders, and having an outlet to practice my passion for agriculture, the idea for Growing Roots was sown.
— Julieta Muñoz, Founder
While studying Plant Science at Cal Poly Pomona, I walked those same streets and saw beyond the buildings and the crime - I saw community and a lot of empty lots.
After conducting a soil contaminant study at Center Street, I decided to stay and voluntarily maintain the community plots, while building close friendships with plot holders, and having an outlet to practice my passion for agriculture, the idea for Growing Roots was sown.
— Julieta Muñoz, Founder