Locally-sourced food for the community
Rootstock Northwest is a Washington-based non-profit that aims to nourish our community by connecting people in need with fresh, locally grown produce from nearby farms. We believe everyone deserves access to healthy, high-quality food while supporting the small farmers who sustain our regional food chain. By bridging farms and families, we strengthen local food systems, reduce waste, and promote food equity.
Projects
Fresh Food for the People
We deliver weekly bags of fresh local groceries, primarily produce, to people in need, doubling the power of each dollar invested: fighting food insecurity AND purchasing directly from small producers.
Want to get on the list to receive fresh local groceries? Fill out this simple application and we’ll get back to you within a week about logistics and availability. Looking forward to feeding you.
About
Amber Whittenberg, President
Hi, I’m Amber, I am a queer woman who grew up the oldest child of teenage parents who were themselves fighting upstream against generational poverty. I was the first woman in my family to graduate high school and my sister and I were the first people in our family to go to college. I spent my 20’s moving around, growing things when and where I could while developing as an artist. My experiences watching the intersections of race, class, gender and sexual identity collide in the lives of my loved ones during this time were formative. In the face of so much powerlessness and injustice, I became deeply invested in studying the architecture of community resiliency and what it takes to build stability and security in the midst of struggle.
I attended The Evergreen State College from 2010-2013 and studied Art, Business and Sustainable Agriculture. I soaked up everything I could about the local food system, sustainability, and closed loop biological and economic systems. I attended conferences in my spare time on Food Security and Socially Engaged Art. While still a student, I began my first of 3 seasons experimenting with my own farming practices. I found myself constantly daydreaming about community networking and building a fully sustainable closed loop micro economy that centers others who were also born swimming upstream. I met Damon in 2016 and together we began to conceptualize what a closed loop economic system that first does no harm then does a lot of good could look like. Rootstock NW is the next iteration of supporting the local food system and improving food security in our region and I am excited to have the privilege of doing this work!
Damon Grady
I am a lifelong Seattle resident and grew up on Capitol Hill. I’ve started numerous businesses over the past 20 years including Gimmee Records, the Via Tribunali restaurants, Sure Can Access Point, and Local Yokels. Having accessible, affordable, clean, and natural foods is something that’s very important to me. Sustaining our local farms through distributing their produce to communities in need is one of the biggest ways we can assure that they are here for generations to come.
Devra Gartenstein
Devra Gartenstein is a serial entrepreneur who founded Patty Pan Cooperative and New Day Cooperative Distribution. She serves on the boards of several Seattle-area farmers’ markets and has published several cookbooks and a food history chronicle.
Dan Ports
Dan Ports is a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research, where he builds reliable and scalable computing infrastructure. He also runs several non-profit online communities that foster research collaboration. At Rootstock Northwest, he brings that same commitment for resilient design and community building to strengthen the local food ecosystem.
Irene Zhang, Secretary
Irene Zhang is a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research. She has no previous experience with non-profits but does have a passion for feeding people.