National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference
July 2023National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference
The 2023 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference hosted teachers, volunteers, and agricultural literacy professionals from across the country for a week of professional development. The conference kicked off with traveling workshops where attendees had the opportunity to experience Florida’s agricultural industry firsthand.
4Roots was honored to welcome two traveling workshop groups. While at our facilities, participants rotated through sessions with 4Roots team members and our composting partner, O-Town Compost, to learn more about bringing hydroponics, permaculture, and composting into their classrooms.
This was such an exciting and rewarding experience that we were proud to be a part of!
USDA Permaculture Grant – “The Never Ending Forage”
4Roots was awarded a grant from USDA’s Urban Agriculture and Innovation Production to create an Educational Food Forest at Innovative Urban Farm Campus to benefit Central Florida. The goal of this project is to build an educational food forest on the 4Roots Farm Campus to educate visitors about regenerative food production.
The 4Roots Farm Campus will feature ¼ mile walking path for guests to wander and wonder through more than 75 edible species that demonstrate permaculture principles or ways of working with the natural landscape to maximize health for the entire ecosystem.
On the right is a 4Roots Food Forest illustration painted by Hey, Lori Cards, one of our talented Packing District Farmer’s Market vendors. For more information and view Lori’s Bio.
Feed-a-Palooza at
Camping World Stadium
Feed the Need by 4Roots participated in the 2nd Annual Feed-a-Palooza by One Heart for Women and Children held at the Camping World Stadium on Thursday, July 13. Feed-a-Palooza is a free mobile food pantry distribution drive where families receive fresh food and nutrition resources while enjoying live entertainment.
FreshPoint donated over 32,858 pounds of produce. With almost 800 cars in attendance and all the produce in total Feed-a-Palooza was able to help feed 4,785 people. This had a huge impact on the local community and building a better food future.
Fresh by 4Roots
July was National Culinary Month and a great time to try new recipes and innovative techniques and bring new cuisine to your tables. Additionally, this month serves as a platform to highlight the importance of healthy eating and making informed food choices, promoting the overall well-being of individuals and communities.
Here are some ways you can recognize National Culinary Month with 4Roots:
Making local, organic, healthy food easily accessible to you.
Volunteer with Feed the Need by 4Roots!
We are always looking for volunteers to help distribute fresh, locally grown produce to the community, package fresh produce from local farmers, seeding, gardening, composting, and more.
Subscribe to O-Town Compost! Each month you get a bucket to fill up with your food scraps, they’ll pick it up, and you can receive 20 lbs of compost or choose to donate it to your local growers.
Upcoming Events
4ROOTS HARVEST FESTIVAL + SPROUT SPRINT | 10.28.23
Join us and celebrate the beauty of the season. This family-friendly day includes a Sprout Sprint 4k Fun Run, Lil’ Sprout Kids Run, and 4Roots Inaugural Harvest Festival. Start the day with a 2.49-mile fun run/walk along scenic trails through the Packing District and 4Roots Farm Campus. Ending at The Grove Park in The Packing District.
COWS ‘N CABS | 11.11.23
Grab your boots and dust off your cowboy hat! Cows ‘n Cabs is a food & wine stroll featuring gourmet fare, wine, craft beer, and cocktails from 25+ local restaurants. We hope you’ll join us for this incredible evening. Tickets on sale September 1st.
