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What year was your organization launched? Founded in 1994, Urban Harvest cultivates thriving communities through gardening and access to healthy, local food with four core programs: Education, Community Gardens, Food Access and Farmers Markets. Urban Harvest has garnered a well-deserved reputation as a leader in the local food movement. In 2023, Urban Harvest continues to enrich the lives, soils and plates of Houstonians.

What is your mission? Urban Harvest’s mission is to cultivate thriving communities through gardening and access to healthy, local food.

What is your vision? Urban Harvest’s vision is of a healthier city where everyone has access to fresh, nutritious food harvested from sustainable community gardens and farms.

Why did you launch the organization? Over 30 years ago, two Fourth Ward activists, Deacon Malcolm McLemore and Deacon Jean Cameron, started a community garden in their neighborhood along with Dr. Bob Randall, one of the founders of Urban Harvest. Their garden grew and grew. The simple act of growing food brought neighbors together to share recipes and seeds, to solve problems about crime and blight, and to eat and celebrate together.

Since 1994, Urban Harvest has changed the way Houston thinks about food, revealing that sustainable fruits and vegetables can flourish in Houston’s unique climate. What’s more, locally grown, healthy food can revitalize and empower our communities and regions.

How have you impacted the community? In 2021, Urban Harvest brought together a growing community of 23,500 individuals and organizations interested in improving the health of our city through gardening and healthy food. We matched almost $27,000 in locally grown fruits and veggies for 375 SNAP shoppers!

Urban Harvest’s Saturday Farmers Market has offered a space for over 110 local businesses to grow. In turn, they generated $4.32 million (compared to $3.9 million in 2020).

Tell us about your big event. Urban Harvest invites Houstonians to break bread during our 2023 Sunday Supper excellence and the communities Urban Harvest serves.

Five of Houston’s most esteemed chefs will lend their unique talents during a multi-course, family-style meal created in partnership with local ranchers and farmers. Proceeds from this unforgettable farm-to-table experience will benefit the programs of Urban Harvest.

What are you most proud of? In 2022, Urban Harvest served a total of 50,027 unique individuals across our core programs including:

• 40,000 farmers market patrons and small food businesses, farmers and ranchers through their Farmers Market Program.

• 4,404 students who Urban Harvest provided gardening education and resources to with 90% of these schools located in socially vulnerable areas.

• 207 school teachers

• 1,000 individuals from all ages and backgrounds through our Education Program

• 2,031 community gardeners that together, protect 15.6 acres of urban productive greenspaces through Urban Harvest’s network of 190 affiliated gardens

• 1,656 individuals located in underserved neighborhoods across Houston through the Mobile Farmers Market and nutrition incentive program for SNAP recipients, Double Up Houston.

How many employees and volunteers work with your organization? The Urban Harvest team is made up of 11 full time employees, dozens of hourly staff and a small army of supportive volunteers.

What are your major challenges? As with all nonprofits, our challenges are addressing the ever-changing needs of our growing community. Community gardens need volunteers, farmers and vendors need support for sustaining their small businesses, schools need dedicated garden support and hands-on instruction, and our Mobile Market customers need fresh products at more affordable prices. We need funders, supporters and volunteers who engage in our mission and support all of our life-changing work!