Roots of Phully Rooted
Phully Rooted sprouted from a desire to put Using Food As A Force For Good, the motto of South Philly Food Co-op (SPFC), into action in specific, measurable ways. Artist, co-op member and Phully Rooted creator, Jessica Gath, sees the connections between supporting the full diversity of our community members to crave and understand how to use our local produce at home, folks who need help accessing food, and the the full diversity of folks who work with the land and each other to feed us all.
Gath learned in 4+ years working full-time at Park Slope Food Coop and as co-creator of SPFC's covid-lockdown "Basics Box" food distribution, that just because folks are interested in eating locally-grown, sustainable food doesn't mean they know how to start or that they can afford to do so. She sought to change that the way she knows best––visually and in community.
Gath's idea was to pay PA artists living wages to inspire fellow Pennsylvanians to eat local produce in its natural seasons beautifully. Phully Rooted has since become a coalition of artists, poets, farmers, food workers, and funders working together with the PA Department of Agriculture and hunger relief organizations and volunteers to introduce Pennsylvanians to local foods, in-season, while fighting food insecurity in our region together. And it's still growing!
20% of each copy of Phully Rooted sold goes directly to hunger relief efforts in Philadelphia and beyond. 25% goes to the artists who created it. 55% goes to bringing the project into the future.
When you invest in this perpetual almanac you are investing in feeding people local food, sustainability in local businesses and taking the beauty of our collective regional food culture forward!