Roots2Harvest Foundation

Our Mission

Roots2Harvest Foundation exists to reconnect communities to the land through agricultural education and community-based participatory research, building food sovereignty and health sovereignty from the ground up.

We serve Birmingham, Alabama, where 70% of neighborhoods are classified as food deserts, and are building toward regional impact across the Southeast. Our work sits at the intersection of ecology, public health, and economic justice. We believe communities deserve not only access to fresh food, but the knowledge, infrastructure, and research to sustain it for generations.

Our Pillars

Roots2Harvest Foundation is our community and research engine, holding our educational initiatives, building pathways for community entrepreneurship, and leading community-based participatory research.

Community Education

Our three education series (Building, Horticulture, and Wellness) empower community members to build and grow to meet challenges of urban agriculture in the South. Each session is led by experienced, skilled workers from our region. We provide hands-on learning rooted in local knowledge and conditions.

Food Entrepreneurship Pathways

We provide urban agricultural training and economic development support for individuals interested in establishing and operating an agricultural or value-added business, with every member as a co-owner. We are passionate about workforce development rooted in dignity and shared wealth.

Community-Based Participatory Research

We aim to lead research measuring how fresh food intervention impacts our communities at the levels of environmental resilience, community connectedness & social health, and individual mental & physiological health. Our current focus is the restoration of urban soils for agricultural safety in Birmingham.

Our Story

Roots2Harvest Foundation was born from observing our community's urgent needs.

The Science

From Cells to Ecosystems

Dr. Amanda D. Clark spent years investigating life at the cellular level as a molecular biologist and at the species level as an evolutionary biologist. Across both scales, the same pattern emerged: our environment (our nutrition, where we live, our habits) profoundly shapes our health and happiness.
The Problem

Birmingham's Food Reality

The overlap of food insecurity and chronic disease in Birmingham, a city where 70% of neighborhoods are classified as food deserts, should cause a sense of alarm. The data is undeniable. This points directly to the need for food and health infrastructure built for long-term community resilience.
The Turn

From Academia to Action

After years in academic research, Dr. Clark decided to make a more direct impact by growing food, providing educational resources, and using her scientific breadth to lead research with her communities, not just about them.
2026

Roots2Harvest Foundation Is Born

Roots2Harvest Foundation was formally established in Birmingham, Alabama, with a commitment to food sovereignty, health sovereignty, and community-led research serving Birmingham today and building toward regional impact across the Southeast.
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Non-Discrimination Statement

Roots2Harvest Foundation serves all individuals regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic. All programs and services are open to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. Roots2Harvest Foundation is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes. No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inure to the benefit of any private individual.

Our Team

Roots2Harvest Foundation is guided by leaders who bring scientific expertise, engineering innovation, and deep community care to everything we do.

Dr. Amanda D. Clark

Founder & Executive Director

Grace Wettstone

Community Engagement & Wellness Officer

Quinton Harvill

Innovation & Operations Development Officer

Dr. Amanda D. Clark — Founder & Executive Director

Dr. Clark is multidisplinary biologist whose research across scales of life, from cells to ecosystems, revealed the deep connection between environment, nutrition, and health. She founded Roots2Harvest Foundation to translate that scientific understanding into direct community impact through urban agriculture, education, and participatory research in Birmingham.

Grace Wettstone — Community Engagement & Wellness Officer

Grace holds a degree in social work with a focus in social psychology and brings experience in education, early childhood development, and recreation therapy for adults in mental health settings. She leads wellness programming at our community garden sites, guides the relational care component of our senior food programs, and ensures the organization responds to the full range of what the communities we serve are carrying.

Quinton Harvill — Innovation & Operations Development Officer

Quinton Harvill is an innovator focused on sustainable real estate development, education, and community-centered business models. He brings expertise in engineering modeling and construction to Roots2Harvest, leading the design and development of operational systems, physical infrastructure, and scalable frameworks that allow the organization to grow sustainably.