Revive The Roots cultivates an inclusive environment free of judgment and biases where people and the environment thrive through sustainable practices, community building, and education. We prioritize shared resources and a collective vision to responsibly steward land for generations to come.
Our mission in Action
Founded in 2011, Mowry Commons, our 23-acre flagship project, offers a unique landscape of walking trails, sustainable agricultural fields, permaculture gardens with mature fruit and nut trees as well as pollinator and habitat gardens. A covered pavilion, outdoor community kitchen with Cobb oven, wash station and cold storage provide ideal space for gathering and processing the produce grown on site. A high tunnel greenhouse and a nursery greenhouse provide space for extended season growing and seedling starts. Duck and chicken coops house our flock of egg laying birds. This concentration of resources and garden types provide infrastructure for food production and is ideal for many types of sustainable practices and education opportunities.
The Community Garden is our longest-running program. For the 2024 season the 40 garden plots serve 57 adult gardeners and 16 children. Since 2017 partnership with Artists’ Exchange has offered arts programs and a sheep husbandry program that serves adults with disabilities. We work with Westbay RI to offer clients opportunities to visit and care for our flock of chickens and ducks and volunteer in the gardens. For the past three years we have worked with Farm Fresh’s Hope’s Harvest to grow produce for local hunger relief. We offer annual college internships with a focus toward growing food in connection with creative disciplines such as culinary and visual arts. Over the years we have developed lasting collaboration with Smithfield area schools by planting and maintaining school gardens. This fall we have successfully launched Farm To School educational programs with field trips and in-class lessons focused on the intersection of healthy lives and a healthy environment. We regularly collaborate with the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council for hikes and clean-ups on Mowry Commons trails overlooking Stillwater Reservoir. We host a variety of workshops and events throughout the year with Rootstock being our signature arts and music festival held in September.
In 2022 we succeeded in purchasing the Mary Mowry House that stands on 5 acres of agricultural and open space. This was a landmark achievement that started in 2013 when Revive the Roots took over the lease of this adjacent property to embark on the rehabilitation of the deteriorating 300 year-old Mary Mowry farm house. In collaboration with the Town of Smithfield and Preserve Rhode Island, our restoration transformed a neglected historical structure into a landmark building and tested a novel “curatorship” model for restoration recognized by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission at their 2021 conference. In 2019 it was announced that the house would be put up for sale and Revive the Roots worked to raise the funds necessary to purchase the house. Revive the Roots is honored to be the owner and long term caretaker of this unique historical building.
Revive the Roots is overseen by a board of directors and run by a part time executive director. Additional staff include a part-time farm educator and a part-time volunteer coordinator. Five standing committees: Land Stewardship, Programs, Fundraising, Mary Mowry House and Rootstock (our annual fall festival), are one of the ways we incorporate volunteer and stakeholder vision into organizational action. Volunteers are a huge part of our history and success, from 2011-2021 Revive the Roots was 100% run by volunteers. We hold monthly volunteer days February through November.
Mowry Commons as run by Revive the Roots is an evolving exercise in working with a variety of community interests and needs to create an eclectic and collective space for activities as varied as growing food, sustainable art practices, pot-lucks, historic preservation, farmland preservation, open mics, community festivals and habitat restoration.
The Community Garden is our longest-running program. For the 2024 season the 40 garden plots serve 57 adult gardeners and 16 children. Since 2017 partnership with Artists’ Exchange has offered arts programs and a sheep husbandry program that serves adults with disabilities. We work with Westbay RI to offer clients opportunities to visit and care for our flock of chickens and ducks and volunteer in the gardens. For the past three years we have worked with Farm Fresh’s Hope’s Harvest to grow produce for local hunger relief. We offer annual college internships with a focus toward growing food in connection with creative disciplines such as culinary and visual arts. Over the years we have developed lasting collaboration with Smithfield area schools by planting and maintaining school gardens. This fall we have successfully launched Farm To School educational programs with field trips and in-class lessons focused on the intersection of healthy lives and a healthy environment. We regularly collaborate with the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council for hikes and clean-ups on Mowry Commons trails overlooking Stillwater Reservoir. We host a variety of workshops and events throughout the year with Rootstock being our signature arts and music festival held in September.
In 2022 we succeeded in purchasing the Mary Mowry House that stands on 5 acres of agricultural and open space. This was a landmark achievement that started in 2013 when Revive the Roots took over the lease of this adjacent property to embark on the rehabilitation of the deteriorating 300 year-old Mary Mowry farm house. In collaboration with the Town of Smithfield and Preserve Rhode Island, our restoration transformed a neglected historical structure into a landmark building and tested a novel “curatorship” model for restoration recognized by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission at their 2021 conference. In 2019 it was announced that the house would be put up for sale and Revive the Roots worked to raise the funds necessary to purchase the house. Revive the Roots is honored to be the owner and long term caretaker of this unique historical building.
Revive the Roots is overseen by a board of directors and run by a part time executive director. Additional staff include a part-time farm educator and a part-time volunteer coordinator. Five standing committees: Land Stewardship, Programs, Fundraising, Mary Mowry House and Rootstock (our annual fall festival), are one of the ways we incorporate volunteer and stakeholder vision into organizational action. Volunteers are a huge part of our history and success, from 2011-2021 Revive the Roots was 100% run by volunteers. We hold monthly volunteer days February through November.
Mowry Commons as run by Revive the Roots is an evolving exercise in working with a variety of community interests and needs to create an eclectic and collective space for activities as varied as growing food, sustainable art practices, pot-lucks, historic preservation, farmland preservation, open mics, community festivals and habitat restoration.
Our Values
Ecological Healing
We believe that humans are part of nature and have a responsibility to heal the planet through the restoration of damaged ecosystems. We strive to be good stewards of the earth by promoting sustainable practices that support the health of our species and the overall health of Earth’s biosphere.
Enriching Community
We believe that a strong sense of community is essential to creating self-reliant and thriving locales. We strive to build community by promoting collaboration, sharing resources, and supporting one another in our collective goals.
Conservation
We value the preservation of historic structures and the use of repurposed and sustainable materials to create quality goods that serve both practical and aesthetic purposes. We believe that by minimizing new construction and working with what already exists, we can reduce waste and honor our shared histories.
Stewardship of Mowry Commons
The land of Mowry Commons is Revive the Roots’ inspiration for creativity and preservation. Keeping this space open for all to access and engage with is how we maintain our organization’s community voice.
We are always seeking new ways to reach out to the general public through onsite workshops, family based activities, and outreach programs. We are immensely grateful for the opportunity to work so closely with you, our community. Without your support we would never have been able to achieve so much in so little time.