Urban Roots regularly works in two separate buildings, six urban agriculture sites, and multiple parks and greenspaces in and around St. Paul. We also work at Target Field with Roots for the Home Team, Mill City Farmers Market, and other locations for special events.

We currently use three vans to transport both equipment and youth interns to their work shifts. Two of these vans are in desperate need of replacement. In summer 2022, we had 60 youth interns between the Market Garden and Conservation teams. We often have interns meet us at worksites and rely on bicycles and—within legal boundaries—reimbursed staff personal vehicle use. With this complex mix of transportation methods, which is made worse when repairs are needed on aging vehicles, a lot of time and other resources are spent on transportation logistics.

By adding a new van to our vehicle fleet, we could transport our staff, youth, and equipment more efficiently and safely and significantly reduce time use associated with logistics of limited transportation.