Urban Roots

Mall of America Pond Fund
2025-08-01 - 2025-08-31 | Mall of America, 60 E Broadway, Bloomington, MN, 55425, United States
The Mall of America has several indoor ponds where guests can drop change and make a wish. Every year, the MOA collects approximately $24,000 from the ponds and distributes it to nonprofit organizations. Each month a different nonprofit is selected to receive the coins, and Urban Roots is the recipient for August 2025.
If you’re at the MOA in August, throw some change into a pond for us!

Mill City Farmers Market
2025-08-16 08:00 - 13:00, 2025-08-30 08:00 - 13:00, 2025-09-06 08:00 - 13:00, 2025-09-20 08:00 - 13:00, 2025-10-04 08:00 - 13:00, 2025-10-18 08:00 - 13:00, 2025-10-25 08:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Mill City Farmers Market, 750 S 2nd St, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55401
Find us at the Mill City Farmers Market every other Saturday, from 8am-1pm. We’ll be bringing a vibrant selection of vegetables, fruits, and herbs freshly harvested from our urban farm sites. Come by our stand to stock up on what’s in season and support local food that makes a difference.

Tour des Jardins
2025-08-16 08:00 - 17:00
The Tour des Jardins is a social bicycle ride between community gardens and urban farms in Saint Paul. The event is something between an open house, a bike ride, a culinary adventure, and a social gathering to bring people together in a fun way and strengthen our network of local community gardens. Watch a recap of the 2024 TdJ.
RSVP here:
Via Google calendar: https://calendar.app.google/biyZT2MA4B5tDVeP7
Via Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BiSCAbcUY/

Participating gardens:
Participating community gardens will host visitors for about an hour, providing an appetizer or beverage using produce from their garden. A garden representative will be on hand to provide a tour of their space and answer questions about the garden’s features and their community.
Tentative list of participating gardens:

Summit Hill Community Garden
CSJ Community Garden
Midway Greenspirit Community Garden
Tatum Park Community Garden
Como Park District 10 Community Garden
Urban Roots’ Rivoli Bluff Community Garden
Mounds Park Community Garden

Schedule:

Time: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Date: Saturday, August 16th
Route: Select this link for a tentative route on Google Maps
Happy hour: Join us at the last stop, Mounds Park Community Garden, where we’ll be hosting a happy hour and tours of our space.

If you have questions, please text 360-510-3085 or email the organizers here. Have fun!

More details
Times are approximate guesses. We want to stick to a schedule as much as possible so our host gardens can plan their day. You are welcome to join us for the whole tour, or just a few stops. Heck, you can even just do one stop if you like.
The ride: The tour will be leisurely and fun – no riders left behind. Riders should be comfortable with riding 19 miles with rest stops. Mechanics will be on hand to help if your bike has mechanical issues. However, mechanics will have limited capabilities.
Can you drive the tour? Yes! The tour is not just for cyclists. You are welcome to drive if you like. All gardens have parking close by.

Garden Storytime
2025-08-21 10:30 - 11:30, 2025-08-28 10:30 - 11:30 | Rivoli Bluff Farm and Restoration Site, 749 Arkwright St, Saint Paul, MN, 55130, United States
Join us for a weekly storytime and garden activity at the Urban Roots Children’s Garden at the Rivoli Bluffs Farm and Restoration Site.

Pop-Up Produce Market + Dodge Nature Center Shepard Farm Discovery
2025-08-22 15:00 - 18:00 | Shepard Farm, 8946 70th St S, Cottage Groce, MN, 55016, United States
Join Urban Roots and Dodge Nature Center for a special pop-up event that celebrates growing food, caring for land, and connecting with community!

Shop fresh, local produce grown by Urban Roots’ paid youth interns at their mobile farmer’s market.
Tour the working farm at Dodge’s Shepard Farm Property—meet the cows, goats, pigs, and chickens, and explore how you could grow your own produce with a rentable garden plot.

Farm tours are free, but preregistration is encouraged to help us plan a smooth experience.
Tours will begin at 3:30, 4:30, and 5:30 p.m.

Preregister via Facebook: facebook.com/events/3712749402355969/
Preregister via Dodge Nature Center: dodgenaturecenter.org/event/pop-up-produce-market-shepard-farm-discovery

Whether you’re a foodie, a family, or a future gardener, come get your hands (and maybe boots!) a little dirty with us.

Urban Roots is a youth development organization and one of the largest youth employers on Saint Paul’s East Side. Through hands-on programs in gardening, cooking, and conservation, Urban Roots creates meaningful job and learning opportunities for under-resourced, majority BIPOC youth—while also increasing access to fresh food, promoting environmental stewardship, and supporting community wellbeing.
Dodge Nature Center is the longest-running nature center in Minnesota, connecting thousands of people each year to the outdoors through hands-on environmental education, farm experiences, public programs, field trips, and a nature-based preschool. With over 460 acres of preserved land across West St. Paul, Mendota Heights, and Cottage Grove, Dodge offers year-round opportunities to explore, learn, and grow in nature.

State Fair (Day One)
2025-08-23 | Minnesota State Fairgrounds, 1265 Snelling Ave N, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, United States
Visit us at the great Minnesota get together! You can find us at the Agriculture Horticulture Building, stop by and say hi to some of our staff and interns.

State Fair (Day Two)
2025-08-28 | Minnesota State Fairgrounds, 1265 Snelling Ave N, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, United States

East Side Farmers Market
2025-09-12 16:00 - 19:00, 2025-10-10 16:00 - 19:00 | East Side Scupture Park, 705 E 7th Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55106
Fresh from the Farm to the East Side!Starting in June, you can find us every second Friday of the month at the East Side Farmers Market from 4pm-7pm. The Market is held at the East Side Sculpture Park (corner of East 7th Street and Bates Avenue).
We’ll be there with a variety of fresh, seasonal vegetables, fruits, and herbs harvested right from our urban farm sites.Come say hello, support local growers, and take home something healthy and delicious. We’d love to see you there!

Farm Friends Wednesdays
2025-09-17 16:00 - 19:00, 2025-10-15 16:00 - 19:00
Looking for a way to get outside for a few hours and dig around in the dirt? Farm Friends Wednesday is the event for you!
Heading into fall is a busy time of year for us; our to-do list is packed with big harvests, prepping produce for winter storage, and putting the gardens to bed. Not to mention, the cool fall breeze makes garden work, well, a breeze!
Stop by and help us check a few things off our list!

Interested in helping out but Wednesdays don’t work for you? We also offer Farm Friends Fridays, reach out to the farm manager Marcos at mgiossi@urbanrootsmn.org to learn more.

Taproom Takeover: Roots Edition
2025-09-26 18:00 - 21:00 | Dual Citizen Brewing Co, 725 Raymond Ave, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55114
Urban Roots is taking over the taproom at Dual Citizen on Friday, September 26th.
The Mobile Market will be on site, along with games, activities, and opportunities to support our programming.

Dual Citizen Brewing Company is proud to announce its September 2025 partnership with Urban Roots, a St. Paul–based nonprofit dedicated to empowering youth through nature, healthy food, and community. This collaboration is part of Dual Citizen’s Dual Purpose initiative, the brewery’s philanthropic arm.
Throughout September, Dual Citizen Brewing will match up to $10,000 in donations raised through the partnership.
“We’re thrilled to spotlight Urban Roots this month as our non-profit partner for the month of September. Their work with the community runs deep and is extraordinarily connective,” said Kyle Barck, Operations Manager, Dual Citizen Brewing. “Their work not only invests in the next generation of leaders but also creates a more sustainable and equitable future for our community.”

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend
2025-10-03 - 2025-10-05
Support our charity race team! We will be running in the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and 10 mile.
Why join Team Urban Roots? Because you’ll…

Make your miles matter by helping to raise funds and awareness for our work to empower youth, improve greenspaces, and grow and prepare healthy food.
Get guaranteed, $95+fees entry to the TC 10 Mile (which has first come, first served registration this year). If you’re running the marathon, registration is $139+fees (the lowest public price for the marathon is $149+fees and increases as the race fills).
Have fun! You’ll be invited to an optional group training run for our team, which was a great time last year, and you’ll get extra-special cheers from our Cheer Zone.

How do I join Team Urban Roots?

Let us know before you register by emailing Team Captain Sara – be sure to mention which distance (marathon or 10 mile) you want to run.
If there’s still space on the team, Sara will send you registration instructions.

What’s expected of me if I join?

There is a $50 minimum fundraising requirement for TC 10 Mile runners (of course more is better!).
All team members are expected to share about the fundraiser with friends and family. Both Urban Roots and Twin Cities in Motion will have graphics you can use.
Fundraising will take place through Race Roster.

Native Seed Collection
2025-10-06 17:00 - 18:00 | Rivoli Bluff Farm and Restoration Site, 749 Arkwright St, Saint Paul, MN, 55130, United States
Learn about local native plants and best practices for sustainably collecting seeds! We will demonstrate seed collecting from the native flowers and grasses found at Rivoli Bluff, a community garden site created by Urban Roots. Participants will leave with seeds and resources for processing and growing plants. RSVP to let us know you’re coming!

Community Seed Circles
2025-10-15 18:00 - 19:00, 2025-11-19 18:00 - 19:00 | Dayton’s Bluff Library, 645 E 7th St, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Join us on the third Wednesday of every month to help us sort seeds, replenish the seed library, and chat with neighbors about gardens! We will give an orientation to volunteers. Tea will be provided.

Round Up at Utepils throughout November!
2025-11-01 - 2025-11-30 | Utepils Brewing, 25 Thomas Ave N #700, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55405
Throughout November, guests at Utepils Brewing can round up their total to support Urban Roots. PLUS: On Nov 14, 5-8pm, you can join us at the brewery for a Kickoff Happy Hour! Grab a free ticket from Urban Roots staff, buy a drink, and redeem the ticket for $1 donated to Urban Roots by Utepils Brewing.
Cheers to community!

Give to the Max Day, Early Giving Starts Now!
2025-11-01 - 2025-11-20
Join us, Early giving starts today!

Here’s why your support during Give to the Max 2025 matters:
🫶 We have $20,000 in matching gifts available thanks to our generous Board of Directors and Fairview Health Services.

🥕 Your gift will help youth learn job skills through paid employment, cook food grown by their peers in their own neighborhood, and restore green spaces right here on the East Side of St. Paul. Every dollar becomes seeds, skills, and the deep confidence that comes from creating something beautiful and nourishing.

💚 Like many nonprofit organizations, we’ve been hit by fundraising challenges this year and are facing a funding gap. This gap is limiting our ability to provide work hours for our youth interns. Our interns show up with dedication and heart, and they deserve the hours they need to do their work well, both for themselves and our community.

🎫 All donations made on GiveMN’s site are entered in drawings for Golden Ticket prizes to nonprofits of up to $10,000. Simply give $5 or more (especially on Nov 20) to give us a chance to win!

⭐ We have a 4-star rating (the highest) on Charity Navigator and Platinum Transparency (the highest) on Candid. We’re also the second-place winner of the 2025 Twin Cities Business Best of Business Readers’ Choice Award in the Charitable Organizations category.
Thank you so much! Small gifts add up to big impacts!

Kickoff Happy Hour @ Utepils
2025-11-14 17:00 - 20:00 | Utepils Brewing, 25 Thomas Ave N #700, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55405
On Nov 14, 5-8pm, you can join us at the brewery for a Kickoff Happy Hour! Grab a free ticket from Urban Roots staff, buy a drink, and redeem the ticket for $1 donated to Urban Roots by Utepils Brewing. Cheers to community!

Give to the Max Day
2025-11-20
Give to the Max Day is an annual fundraiser hosted by GiveMN that raised $37.1 million for Minnesota nonprofits in 2024. Help us empower youth to the max by supporting us this year on November 20 – thank you so much!

Donate

St. Paul Winter Carnival Family Fun Day
2026-01-31

Seed Circle
2026-02-18 17:00 - 18:00 | Dayton’s Bluff Library, 645 E 7th St, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Seed Circles are starting up again! Join us on the third Wednesday of every month to help us sort seeds, replenish the seed library, and chat with neighbors about gardens! We will give an orientation to volunteers, main tasks will include packing seeds for community distribution. Tea will be provided.

Sowing Bee - Seed starting event
2026-03-14 13:00 - 15:30 | GROW-IT Center, 445 Maria Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Join Urban Roots, Payne-Phalen Community Council, and Arcade Garden Collective at our Sowing Bee event on Saturday, March 14, 1-3:30 p.m., at Metro State’s GROW IT Center, 445 Maria Avenue, St. Paul.
We’ll be sowing annual seeds that will be planted this Spring in some of the 41 new gardens located on Arcade Street. The annuals will grace the community during Summer 2026. Next year, MnDOT, when it completes its Arcade Street Project, will install landscaping, including pollinators and trees, along Arcade from Phalen Blvd. to Frost Ave.
The Sowing Bee is free. A light lunch will be served.
Email: gardens@paynephalen.org to RSVP, space is limited.
If you have the following items handy, please bring them along: Exacto knife/scissors, milk jugs, gardening gloves, and something to scoop soil.
For parking, take advantage of the street parking outside of the building and in a visitor parking lot next door to the GROW IT Center.
Sponsors also include the Capitol Region Watershed District and St. Paul Parks Conversancy.
