This Fall, Festival Beach Food Forest is celebrating our ten year anniversary. What began as a field of Bermuda grass in 2015 has flourished into a thriving, diverse community of plants (and people!). Last Fall, we planted over 100 trees to begin rooting into Phase II— our 2 acre expansion project that is quadrupling the footprint of the food forest. This Fall, we will establish plant guilds around our Phase II trees, feeding the both soil and saplings. This is a huge endeavor, and we need your help! Join us for one or more community workdays in October and November. We'll also have two special post-workday parties with music, food and activities— come celebrate ten years with us!
Be a part of the growth & community this fall:
- Volunteer to plant at any of the workdays listed below (we can also use your help at our Tues/Thurs workdays at 9am if weekdays are better for you!).
- Volunteer to staff various roles at our fall events (food prep & service, welcome table, popup shop, setup/breakdown, etc).
- Donate using this page.
- Come party with us on October 25 and November 1!! Register below!
Help us get to $10k— your gift will be matched through December!
As we move through this season of growth and honor a decade of the Food Forest, we’re asking the community to join us in raising $10,000. A generous donor will match all gifts up to $10,000 through the end of the year— doubling your impact for a total of $20,000 to support the forest! This is our first-ever matching campaign, and we hope our community will seize this unique moment! Grant funds have become harder than ever to secure, and after a tough season of denied applications, we hope to build our capacity through this crucial crowdfunded support. You can make your donation today using this page!
If you'd like to deepen your commitment to the food forest, please consider making a monthly recurring donation by joining our Giving Guild! Members receive special perks such as stickers, t-shirts, zines, and invitations to exclusive workshops and social events.
Events
Anniversary Kickoff Workday
Saturday, October 11, 9am-12pm
Join us in the forest to put your hands in the dirt and kick off a season of planting! Under the guidance of a Guild Lead, you will be guided through a gardening task in the forest and play a key role in getting our new guilds in the ground before winter comes.
10 Year Anniversary Planting Party / Roots & Wings Festival
Saturday, October 25
Join us in the morning, afternoon, or both!
10am-12:30pm: Community Workday in the forest! Tools & guidance will be provided.
12:30-3pm: Fun in the forest for the whole family! Celebrate 10 years of growing a food forest and building community. We'll have a free community meal, Music by Minor Mishap Marching Band, and activities in the Pecan Circle.
Activities include:
- Roots & Wings Festivities
- Clothing Swap
- Making seed bombs
- Enjoy teas made with Food Forest plants
- Kids nature play activities
- Austin Bat Cave: puppet storytime + writing activities
- STEMSign: ASL activity
- Plant walk
TreeFolks Planting Day
Thursday, October 30, 9am-12pm
TreeFolks will lead volunteers in planting activities at the Food Forest. Please register directly with TreeFolks at this link.
It's My Park Day / Roots & Wings Festival at the Forest
Saturday, November 1
10am-12:30pm: Join us in the forest for a workday! Tools & guidance will be provided. Registration for this workday is being managed through Givepulse - please use this link to register for the 11/1 workday! Costumes encouraged!!
12:30-3pm: Stay after the workday to enjoy Music by Blowcomotion Marching Band, food by chef Umair Khakoo, and activities in the Pecan Circle. Costumes encouraged!!
If you'd like, bring an item for the community altar to honor loved ones who have crossed over.
Activities include:
- Enjoy teas made with Food Forest plants
- Kids nature play activities
- Austin Bat Cave: puppet storytime + writing activities
- STEMSign: ASL activity
- Community Altar
- Plant walk
November Workday
Saturday, November 8, 9am-12pm
Join us in the forest for a workday! Tools & guidance will be provided.
Let's bring our tree and forager to life! This drawing will be filled in with color as we make our way to our $10,000 goal this fall.
