Inspiring Conversations with Dionne Washington of Project Roots AZ

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dionne Washington.

Hi Dionne, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
We started Project Roots in my backyard in Central Phoenix, AZ back in 2019. We saw a need for access to healthy local food in our neighborhood and started growing tomato plants and sharing those tomatoes with the community. We quickly realized that the homeless population could also benefit, especially in the colder months. We donated tomatoes and tomato soup for the homeless population and a small food bank in Phoenix called Culture Cup.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I am not sure what successful business, non-profit, or organization hasn’t had a few bumps in the road. We most certainly did. We decided to expand from our backyard to a local farm at the time called Agave Farm. It was located on that now empty lot on Central and Indian School. We were there for a year, and then, very suddenly, all of the farmers and gardeners on that land had to leave. So, we then went down to Spaces of Opportunity in South Phoenix. We grew food on that 1/2 acre of land for 3 years. We distributed several thousands of pounds of food over those three years and fed many. However, the cost to grow on that land was out of our reach as a nonprofit and we couldn’t keep up and had to leave that land and turn our small community garden farmland back into an even smaller homestead.

The challenges we were given were a blessing; they forced us to pivot and continue our mission to grow food and show others how to grow in their backyards as well. Now, we can truly do that at the Project Roots House.

As you know, we’re big fans of Project Roots AZ. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Project Roots AZ was co-founded by Bridget Pettis, who goes by BE, and Arizona Native Dionne Washington in late 2019, along with a family member, a cousin of Bridget, Jessica Diamond. We co-founded this 501(c)3 nonprofit to focus on different ways to educate people about growing their food through various educational and wellness projects. Our Glendale location is where we are building out our tower garden farm. We support our community, particularly those that are food insecure, distributing fresh fruits and veggies from our Glendale homestead. We also offer a seasonal community-supported agriculture (CSA) subscription to our community members and sell at local farmers’ markets.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Planning ahead is my biggest lesson. No matter the project, lesson, or volunteer activity, planning months, sometimes years in advance serves us well.

Pricing:

• CSA Produce Box – $40

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.projectrootsaz.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/project_rootsaz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectrootsaz
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProjectRoots1
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLUaKSIRz8TWQs1qj_eMsyg

Image Credits
Project Roots AZ