New Roots cares about farmers, fresh food, and communities. This small but scrappy organization is working to be sure that fresh food insecure communities have access to healthy foods that come right off the farm. And equally important is the farmer that grows the food.
The story of New Roots is the story of its founder, Karyn Moskowitz. Karyn first came to Louisville in 2007. She saw the need to bring fresh food into the “food deserts” of West Louisville and began organizing traditional farmers’ markets there. This led her to connect with Norton Foundation board member Maggie Keith, who at the time was beginning to build the family farm, Foxhollow, into a burgeoning biodynamic, grass-fed beef business. While other farmers perceived these food deserts to be too risky, Maggie and Karyn knew that this perception had to change.
Karyn soon realized that traditional farmers’ markets couldn’t survive in underserved communities because the economics weren’t sustainable. Everyone has to benefit in the food chain – the farmer needs to make money so he/she can continue to grow healthy food, and the consumer has to be able to afford it. Thus Karyn founded New Roots, which coordinates Fresh Stop Markets – farm-fresh food markets that pop up at community spaces – where the food has been paid for in advance so that farmers don’t face the same degree of risk as they do with a standard farmers’ market. Today there are 13 Fresh Stop Markets, and if Karyn has her way, there will be many more.
Through Karyn’s and Maggie’s shared passion, the Norton Foundation has proudly supported New Roots. We applaud Karyn and her team for their dedication to this noble cause.