The New Year Brings Growth!

Farmshare and local non-profit Urban Roots are excited to partner together to increase the amount of affordable, local produce available to low-income Fresh for Less customers. Fresh For Less has the goal of reducing economic and geographic barriers to accessing healthy, fresh and local food for people living in the Eastern Crescent of Austin and Travis County. We try to source as much produce as possible from local growers.

Urban Roots is an organization that cultivates leadership skills through food and farming to transform the lives of young people and inspire, engage, and nourish the community. They are working with Farmshare Austin to sell the produce their students grow to our Food Access program at a reduced price, which allows us to continue keeping our prices low for even more Fresh For Less customers. 

"Urban Roots is excited to be working with Farmshare to supply produce grown by our incredible youth leaders, community volunteers, and staff to their Fresh For Less curbside service and mobile markets. It's a win/win for us that Farmshare is able to purchase the produce and make sure it's going to folks in the community who are facing barriers to food access. It's also a very valuable experience for our youth leaders to learn more about Farmshare's work. For example, young leaders from our Fellowship program recently had the opportunity to tour the Farmshare farm this past fall, plus our South Austin Interns are currently learning and sharing with residents about food access resources in Dove Springs and the South East Austin community.", says Programs Director Ian Hunter-Crawford.

Sourcing from local producers means that Fresh For Less customers have access to the freshest possible produce items that have traveled the least amount of miles, reducing their carbon footprint and storing greater nutritional value. Purchasing from local growers also contributes to the local economy, since the dollars spent do not travel outside of the greater Austin area.