4Roots February Newsletter
March 2024
4Roots Mobile Market Launches at The Packing District Farmers Market
The 4Roots Mobile Market, funded by a grant from Humana and CenterWell, made its debut this month at The Packing District Farmer’s Market (PDFM). We are looking forward to coming to a community near you.
This mobile unit will enable 4Roots‘ Meet the Need to broaden its offerings, reach more geographical locations, and increase its capacity for distributing fresh produce in food-insecure areas.
Additionally, Fresh by 4Roots will introduce micro–markets to provide fresh, nutritious produce to residents with limited access to healthy food. These markets accept WIC, SNAP, and Fresh Access Bucks (FAB).
Currently, you can find us on Saturdays from 9 am – 1 pm at the PDFM
2178 Packing District Way, Orlando, FL 32804
If you or your organization is interested in sponsoring a Mobile Market community event to provide fresh produce to students, seniors, and families, please email mobilemarket@4rootsfarm.org.
Working Together: Culinary Education for Local Youth
4Roots is excited to announce its Garden-to-Table Experience: Culinary Education for Nutrition Security program funded by the Ginsburg Institute for Health Equity at Nemours Children’s Hospital. The program will establish a sustainable community garden along with culinary and nutritional education in a low-income, at-risk community at the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida, Bradley-Otis Clubhouse (B&GC). Leveraging their facility, this collaboration aims to establish a comprehensive, multi-system solution to address food and nutritional insecurity within the community. A key initiative of the program includes the B&GC youth partaking in weekly nutritional and culinary education sessions through an enhanced community partnership with the Ginsburg Institute for Health Equity Nemours Children’s Pediatrician and Dietician, 4Roots, and B&GC. These sessions serve as a platform for acquiring practical knowledge that goes beyond the garden, empowering the youth to make informed choices about their food and its preparation. The project targets a vulnerable demographic of 6-18-aged youth, often more susceptible to food insecurity. This holistic education is particularly impactful in an area with lower median household incomes, providing the youth with tools for educational empowerment for future economic opportunities.
4Root Farm Campus – Did You Know?
The Education Center on the Farm Campus is a performance-based building made from locally sourced, non-toxic materials. The building, on target to be the first new building to attain the energy petal certification of the Living Building Challenge in Florida, also generates its own energy with renewable resources, captures and treats all of its water, and operates efficiently. It is a powerful teaching tool that supports a new approach to achieving environmental literacy in the 21st century.
This net-zero venue has four 32-seat, flexible lab classrooms that can be combined to form two larger classrooms and offer space for classes, meetings, seminars, lectures, workshops, small gatherings, and more. For venue inquiries, please email farmevents@4rootsfarm.org.
For more information about 4Roots, visit www.4rootsfarm.org.
Photo credit: Little Diversified Architectural Consulting
Calling All Readers
The 4Roots team is creating a library for guests to reference and enjoy while visiting the Farm Campus. We’re asking our community to help build our library during Gardening, Nature, and Ecology Books Month this March. We are looking for gardening, food, and agriculture-related books for readers of all ages. Please bring your new or gently used books to The Packing District Farmers Market any Saturday in March, beginning on Read Across America Day this Saturday, March 2.
Book Collection: 4Roots Mobile Market at The Packing District Farmers’ Market on Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm.
Mark Your Calendar
Orlando BUILT: Golf Tournament to Benefit 4Roots
April 18
Orlando BUILT members and non-members are invited. Enjoy golf, food, and beverages. Limited to the first 20 teams. Shotgun start at 2 pm.
Our New Neighbor
We are excited to welcome a new neighbor in The Packing District!
Publix is set to open on March 14!
