FunkyTown Food Project

About

The FunkyTown Food Project was established to impact high school students by combining hands-on farming experiences with leadership and team-building skills. FunkyTown Food Project follows the evidence-based program called The Food Project in Boston, MA. We cultivate essential life skills and promote community engagement for our students while ensuring inclusivity and equal access.

Categories Program Children & Youth Community & Advocacy Educational / Vocational

Program Details

FunkyTown Food Project’s mission is to cultivate leadership skills in high school youth through food and farming, with the goal of transforming the lives of young people so they can inspire, engage, and nourish the community.

FunkyTown Food Project provides a 6-week summer program for high school students in the area, which we call the Seed Crew. Students in the summer program learn about sustainable farming, leadership, team-building, current events, and volunteerism. Seed Crew students work at Conundrum Farms located in Crowley, Texas, and are paid a weekly stipend for their work. Assistant Crew Leaders (ACLs) and Seed Crew graduates assist the Program Director and farm staff, and they help Seed Crew students perform their daily farm activities. In the afternoon, Seed Crew members participate in weekly groups that focus on current issues in the community; students also receive instruction in sustainable farming and local food production. In addition, they get hands-on experience in cooking classes and volunteering with food banks and pantries.

We engage students in our unique youth development program by paying them stipends for their work and program participation. Assistant Crew Leaders gain valuable work experience and improve their people skills while earning income. For many students, getting paid to work on a farm may be their first work experience. Our program also allows students an opportunity to gain experience in relationship-building and teamwork, where they have a chance to connect and build relationships with peers from diverse backgrounds.

Future Plans
In 2025, our goal is to enroll 12 area high school students and 3 Seed Crew graduates in our summer program. We hope to engage other community partners and volunteers during the 6-week program to offer new experiences to our Seed Crew students. Our goal is to increase volunteer opportunities, community networking, and learning experiences for our program participants; mobile home residents in Tarrant County will also be provided with farm produce brought by Seed Crew members. Future plans include additional fundraising efforts so more Tarrant County high school students have the opportunity to engage in our unique youth development program.

Contact Kent Bradshaw, COO kentb@funkytownfoodproject.org (817) 368-6417 Website

Populations Served
FunkyTown Food Project serves a cross section of Tarrant County high school students. Local high schools—including public, private, and charter—are represented in our program. Participants are diverse in race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Students in our program volunteer at local food banks where they serve low- to moderate-income individuals and families who are food insecure; they also work at local food pantries and farmer’s markets.

Services Offered
FunkyTown Food Project provides a 6-week summer program for select Tarrant County high school students called the Seed Crew. Students learn about sustainable farming, leadership, team-building, and volunteerism. In addition, we offer an alumni program in which former Seed Crew members can return as Assistant Crew Leaders and gain additional leadership skills. Assistant Crew Leaders participate in the selection of new Seed Crew members, assist Conundrum Farm staff and volunteers, and represent FunkyTown Food Project in the community and at local events.

Cost to Participate
Urban Roots NTX dba FunkyTown Food Project (FTFP) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and fundraises to cover operational costs. There is no cost for students and youth to participate in any of the FTFP programs.

Staff Composition
Current staff includes a program director and chief operating officer. In addition, FunkyTown Food Project receives assistance from the Conundrum Farm manager and instructor. The program receives marketing and fundraising support from local independent contractors.

Seed Crew students diligently plow a row of soil in preparation for seed planting at Conundrum Farms. Lined up behind them are other already plowed rows. In the background are tall trees and a farm building; the sky above them is cloudy, which offers plenty of shade.

The Program Director Juleon Lewis and Farm Manager Montana Stoval line up for a picture with four Assistant Crew Leaders (ACLs) in a cabin living room. Lewis poses with a thumbs-up and a bright smile, which Stoval and the ACLs also wear on their faces.

Chef Reggie Robinson, dressed in a green shirt, teaches students how to cook. On their work station are various cooking supplies and ingredients, some of which have already been prepared under Robinson’s careful instruction. In the background are wooden tables, where another student prepares food on their own.

The Program Director, Juleon Lewis, stands in the middle of a cabin living room and instructs a group of students that form the Seed Crew and Assistant Crew Leaders. These students gather in seats around him and listen attentively as Lewis gestures throughout his speech. Bright sunlight and glimpses of green trees can be seen through the cabin windows.

FunkyTown Food Project in the Media

Fort Worth Report
Read: How teenagers, veterans and farmers are finding purpose at this Tarrant County farm

Recent Case Studies

Aerial view shows the meandering Buffalo Bayou waterway, grassy banks, and paved walkways.

Place

Buffalo Bayou Promenade

Buffalo Bayou Promenade transformed an area beneath a busy freeway into a welcoming urban park and recreation space featuring gently sloping banks, extensive native landscaping, hiking and biking trails, public art, interpretative signage, and a new pedestrian bridge.

Adults and youth stand by a rock dam built inside a dirt path with grass on the sides and trees in the background.

Program

River Source: Watershed Restoration with New Mexico Youth and Communities

River Source supports people as good stewards of their watersheds by providing science and policy education, planning, monitoring, and ecological restoration services throughout New Mexico.

Perennial gardens are filled with plants blooming in shades of purple and pink, with a bench in the background.

Place

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Patient Tower

The landscape surrounding the Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Patient Tower provides a welcoming and healing space for patients, families, and staff. Multiple garden areas offer places for quiet reflection, conversation, and play, as well as opportunities for learning about stormwater management in an urban setting.