By OLIVE GRABE and LUCY JARMAN
Do you live in the East Phillips, Corcoran, or Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis? Are you interested in workshops and resources centered around keeping food cultural, local, and healthy? If so, you should check out Southside Roots. We are led by South High students and co-led by Michelle Shaw of Minneapolis Edible Boulevards. We prioritize making food healthy and accessible, and connecting with youth and families to make sure everyone has the opportunity to explore urban agriculture. Our program is based around food justice, gardening, outdoor education, and community building.
So far our team has planted an edible mushroom bed, three fruit trees, and a community boulevard garden at South High School, and helped plant edible boulevard gardens in our students’ own communities throughout Minneapolis. We have also co-hosted a seed sowing event together with Corcoran Neighborhood Organization and Minneapolis Edible Boulevards, and have helped members of the community prepare seed cells for their upcoming summer gardens and for boulevard gardens that will be planted by Minneapolis Edible Boulevards’ participants this spring.
There are many plans for the future, including hosting community cooking classes that teach how to make plant based meals from the different cultures and countries that reflect the diverse demographics of our schools and South Minneapolis as a whole. If you’re interested in our mission, follow us at southsideroots on Instagram, and join our Southside Roots group on Facebook!
