GR Gardening Education Center and Community Farm Closing, Holding Garage Sale
A Grand Rapids non-profit community farm, compost program, and education center has closed its doors after eight years.
First opening in 2013, Urban Roots sought to explore how growing food could be used as a transformational tool in Grand Rapids. They moved into the Madison Neighborhood in 2015, hosting programs and experiences experiences that focused on connecting people of all ages and backgrounds to the soil and the table.
The non-profit shared the news of their closure to social media, saying,
To friends and supporters of Urban Roots, after eight years of operating—five of those in Madison—effective immediately, Urban Roots is closing its doors. We are grateful to friends, donors, volunteers, teachers, neighborhood members and all who made this place special. For the folks who dropped, turned, and finished compost - thank you. To the individuals who came to classes, attended community events, or donated money, wisdom, or encouragement, thank you. To all the funders, donors, grantmakers and administrators who kept us financially afloat, thank you. And to all the staff and interns, you made this place great.
Their compost program has also ended. Urban Roots is encouraging compost subscribers to reach out to Wormies, another Grand Rapids' organization, that feeds food, farm, and yard waste to worms to produce castings—a high-quality, natural fertilizer and soil amendment.
On Saturday, October 9, Urban Roots is holding a large sale to liquidate all of their tools, kitchen utensils, grow lights, and other equipment.
Urban Roots says,
From tomato trellises to kitchen knives, grow lights to salad spinners, T-shirts and cobra heads, please put this date on your calendar!
The sale is October 9, 9a.m. to 4p.m. at 1316 Madison St. in Grand Rapids.
If you're into plants, gardening, cooking - this sounds like a sale to hit up!