At FunkyTown Food Project, food is more than fuel: it’s a force for change.

Inspired by The Food Project in Boston, FunkyTown is a Fort Worth-based non-profit that provides paid internships to a diverse group of local high school students, focusing on sustainable agriculture. Since 2022, FunkyTown has run an annual six-week summer program in which interns—called the Seed Crew—learn how to combat food insecurity and cultivate community through hands-on experience and education.

In the mornings, students gain practical farming skills at Conundrum Farms in Crowley, Texas, through activities like planting and picking crops. “As an intern, I did things to upkeep the farm such as raking the wood chips and harvesting,” recalls Kamiyah R., a former Seed Crew intern and Assistant Crew Leader (ACL). “But one thing I loved to do was spray all-natural insecticide—some even say that I was the queen of it.”

One of the most gratifying aspects of the program for many interns is seeing the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. Hector, another former intern and ACL who plans to return to FunkyTown again this summer, mentions the satisfaction of tallying up the hundreds of pounds of produce harvested each week, such as cucumbers. He claims that “seeing the vast amount of food we’re able to produce is probably the most rewarding thing.”

After getting their hands dirty tending to crops in the morning, afternoons at FunkyTown are devoted to group discussions and a curriculum based on becoming community citizens and leaders. “As an intern and a crew leader, I learned skills about sustainable vegetable farming and gardening, but my overall takeaways were so much more than that,” reflects Fiona M. “I learned about leadership, teamwork, and the value of people working together as one big ecosystem.”

For Cristian S., learning more about how food is cultivated and distributed helped him understand food insecurity in his own neighborhood. He highlights the value of group discussions with other interns from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, claiming that it “really helped me see that even if we are separated by these things we can also come together and be a community.”

I learned about leadership, teamwork, and the value of people working together as one big ecosystem.

FunkyTown’s impact is also felt in the broader Fort Worth area. In addition to selling food at the market, a portion of picked produce is donated to those in need. By collaborating with local organizations like the Tarrant Area Food Bank and Community Food Bank, interns gain a glimpse of the whole food pipeline from farm to table.

“We’re able to get a little touch of pulling the produce out of the ground, a little touch of selling it at the market, and a little touch of volunteering to see large-scale surplus produce distributed to our communities,” says Juleon Lewis, FunkyTown’s Interim Executive Director. “It’s really rewarding being able to see the full picture and being able to be an active member in moving the needle forward when it comes to battling food insecurity.”

Heading into its fourth year, FunkyTown is looking to expand its community outreach and create new leadership opportunities for returning interns. FunkyTown’s Chief Operating Officer, Kent Bradshaw, envisions experienced interns having more autonomy so that they can identify and solve local problems.

Kent notes that “there are a lot of critical needs in our community, and if we can use our interns to help address those needs, there’s a level of awareness and impact they have. There’s also a sense of possibility that you can actually change things . . . When you can see that at an early age, I really think it does change how you view problems in your life and can bring communities together. It’s really powerful.”

As FunkyTown’s roots deepen, the program continues to cultivate not only crops but lasting connections and a commitment to nourishing the community.

Associated Case Study: FunkyTown Food Project

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