Purpose Grown Project

In 2020 Rooted started growing food for donation to local community centers in response to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Low income and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) folks were hit the hardest by the pandemic, so we focused on distributing to four different community centers on the Northside of Madison that serve these communities – Lakeview Community School, Sherman Church, Packers Community Learning Center, and Vera Court Neighborhood Center –  well as Badger Rock Neighborhood Center on the Southside. We distributed pre-packed boxes of organic produce and offered the chance for recipients to select Latine, African American, Asian American, and Farmers Choice boxes – each one offering different culturally relevant foods on a given week.

As the program evolved, Badger Rock started offering produce from the on-side Badger Rock urban farm, and Troy Farm added additional Northside community center partners including Kennedy Heights Neighborhood Center and Northport Community Learning Center. Starting in 2023, we switched to bringing produce in bulk to all the sites so that community members could choose which items they preferred and in the quantities they wanted. In 2024, we also donated produce monthly to the Ho-Chunk Madison Branch Office.

This program has become a resource that participating community members look forward to and are very grateful to receive. Unfortunately, the need for this program has only grown over time as inflation has skyrocketed and low income and BIPOC communities are left behind during a time of economic recovery. Please consider supporting Troy Farm by donating, becoming a worker share, or volunteering when you are able to help Rooted continue this program and expand to meet other areas of need.