New Britain ROOTS Celebrates Growth At Annual “Garden Crawl”

by John McNamara

New Britain ROOTS, the city’s urban agriculture and education program that started in 2013, shared its growth in schools and in the community at a well attended 4th annual Garden Crawl and Luncheon held at South Church on October 1st.

A bus full of attendees visited Roosevelt School on the east side and then toured Slade Middle School on the west side where ROOTS has established school gardens. The partnership with the public schools includes after-school outdoor and garden learning and gives students an understanding of healthy foods as they participate in growing fruits and vegetables. Over the last year 380 New Britain students from kindergarten through high school have participated in ROOTS programs.

Executive Director Joey Listro, a member of the Board of Education, says that school gardens produced 2,000 pounds of food for school lunches or were sent to farmers’ markets and food pantries in the last year. Overall ROOTS’ urban agriculture yielded 10,000 pounds that was accessible to residents including individuals qualifying for WIC (Women, Infants and Children)and similar programs. A Chapman Street community garden gave residents a place to grow their own.

ROOTS is also intergenerational having launched an accessible raised-bed project. Waist-height garden beds have been built for 18 New Britain residents over age 60 or who have mobility issues this year. In addition, the New Britain Senior Center’s Greenhouse Club on Pearl Street, with support from ROOTS, grows seedlings for sale. Through the months of the pandemic ROOTS provided plant starter kits for backyard growers and community gardening. As double digit inflation drives grocery bills up ROOTS can support alternatives to shopping for locally grown fresh crops.

The beginnings of the ROOTS nonprofit can be traced to Urban Oaks Farm on Oak Street where the late Tony Norris and Mike Kandefer, certified organic farmers, brought urban agriculture to the inner city neighborhood where Sandelli’s Florists’ greenhouses were vacant. During its existence Urban Oaks provided fresh crops of produce to residents and Norris and Kandefer were in demand at Connecticut restaurant for their organic herbs. That is where Joey Listro, a New Britain native, started his urban ag educational project before ROOTS formally formed eight years ago. At Urban Oaks Listro ran the after-school garden enrichment programs from 2011-2014.

With its food justice and access mission ROOTS depends on contributions and grants to support its programs that continued to grow in 2022. Donations may be made to https://www.newbritainroots.org/donate