Rooted & Rising: Legacy Gala

For eight years, Ujima has been cultivating community through food justice, environmental stewardship, and youth empowerment across St. Louis. What began in 2018 as a series of pop-up dinner events has grown into an organization that now operates George Washington Carver Farms, The Sunflower Institute, educational workshops, and community clean up events that serve hundreds of residents each year. Along the way, we transformed five vacant lots into a half-acre urban farm, orchard, outdoor classroom, and gathering space. From the young people we have mentored to the fruit trees now bearing harvests in our orchard, the seeds we have planted together are beginning to flourish. After eight years of service, resilience, and growth, we are proud to celebrate this milestone through our Rooted & Rising: Legacy Gala.

This year's gala honors the people, partners, volunteers, donors, and community members who have helped make this journey possible. Through challenges, setbacks, denied grants, and even natural disasters, Ujima has continued to grow because of a shared commitment to collective work and responsibility. We are especially grateful to the foundations, organizations, and individual supporters who invested in our vision and helped us create lasting impact in North St. Louis. As we also celebrate five years of George Washington Carver Farms, we reflect on accomplishments that include planting an orchard with more than 18 fruit trees, adding over 40 native trees/shrubs/plant species, building 25 raised beds, and removing more than 15,000 pounds of trash from our community.

As we look to the future, we are preparing for our next chapter of growth. Ujima plans to expand the farm from 0.5 acres to 1.5 acres, allowing us to add a greenhouse, increase cold storage capacity, build a wash-and-pack station, and grow even more food for our community. Funds raised through Rooted & Rising will directly support this expansion, youth programming, workforce development opportunities, educational workshops, and the continued stewardship of our urban farm. We invite you to join us in celebrating what we have accomplished together and investing in what comes next. Together, we remain rooted in our values and rising toward a more just, healthy, and sustainable future for St. Louis.

Rooted & Rising: Legacy Gala

Honoring Our Roots. Growing Our Future.

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