On the south side of Chicago sits a
quarter acre farm.
That’s right: A quarter acre farm that grew and
distributed more than 4,000 pounds of fresh produce to farmers and local residents around Chicago within its first operational year.
Just Roots is a non-profit
co-founded by former Lewis student, campus minister, and professor, Sean Ruane ‘12. Sean spent the first nine years of his life in the Midwest before moving to
Georgia with his family. It was only when he moved back to the Midwest to attend school at Lewis that he began to see just how
hard it was for some communities in Chicago to gain access to locally sourced and
reasonably priced produce.
“Over the last 75 years, Americans have progressively
become more and more disconnected from their food – where it comes from, how
it’s grown, and healthy cooking and diet practices,” says Sean. “Additionally, many people who want
to eat better don’t have access to healthy foods due to socioeconomic,
educational, and geographic barriers.”
Just Roots is starting from the ground up – literally
– to change that. The organization offers on-site educational opportunities for
those interested in learning about growing fruits and veggies in an urban
setting and leading a healthier lifestyle. The farm is also open to tours,
volunteers, and those who want to become community partners.
“It feels very fulfilling to do work that benefits the
community and that I’m deeply energized about. It’s one of the greatest blessings
of my life.”
Sean says his family history and his enthusiasm to
educate others is what partly sparked this initiative.
“My grandfather lived on a farm in Ireland before he
immigrated to the United States and my mom was always outside gardening when I
was a kid. So I like to think that growing food is in my blood. Early on in my
life, I was interested in becoming a teacher. When I moved back to Chicago, I
started seeing just how disconnected people were from their food and I realized
I wanted to blend my passion for education with my goal to empower people to
lead healthier lives.”
Before starting Just Roots, Sean earned his bachelor’s
in Secondary Education and History from Lewis and was a Men’s Baseball player for two years.
He was multi-year Dean’s List student and recipient of the Brother David
Delahanty award for his excellence as a student-athlete. He was also heavily
involved in campus ministry programming, an activity that allowed him to
cultivate his passion for community. After graduation, Sean returned to Lewis as the coordinator of social justice education in campus ministry and as an adjunct professor for undergraduate theology and sociology, leading immersion experiences and teaching The Search For Faith and Cultural Diversity before jumping on the chance to start Just Roots.
Sean is proud of the organization and the goals he and
his team have accomplished, despite Just Roots being in its infancy years.
“It’s always easier to think about things we could be
doing better, but if I have to choose one thing that I’m really proud of, I’d
say it’s the fact that we’ve built up a really strong network of people (staff,
board, volunteers) who believe in the work we’re doing and want to see us
continue improving
the lives of community members.”
Just Roots hopes to reach their goal of growing more
than 10,000 pounds of food in 2019 at their south side farm. They
hope to open a second farm site in the near future to spread a love of growing food and to empower others to cultivate healthy lifestyles -- and relationships.
To learn more about Sean, his team, and Just Roots
visit: https://justrootschicago.org/
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