Food Justice NW Aurora is building a multicultural, intergenerational, and intersectional movement for food justice and food sovereignty to transform our local food system in NW Aurora, CO.
We strive to create a just, sustainable, and complete food environment by mobilizing people, organizations, and businesses. We’re focused on building community wealth, facilitating and nurturing strategic partnerships, and advocating for policy and systems changes.
Increasing Local Food Production
There are over 20 community gardens in Aurora, and through the Cultivate Aurora project, FJNWA works to increase the number, expand the area, and improve the infrastructure of growing spaces in northwest Aurora. This includes the annual cycle of the Cultivate Aurora Community Garden Mini-grants program, which supports community gardens with $500 grants to help with infrastructure improvements, garden materials, and community-building activities. FJNWA granted over $16,000 in the first two years, supporting 12 gardens in 2024 and 20 in 2025.
Through the Cultivate Aurora project, FJNWA is working to build and sustain a community greenhouse and establish a hub for urban food production and education. With support from partners and residents, this greenhouse will provide affordable plant starts, community workshops, and job training opportunities year-round. This project aims to make growing food more accessible for residents and reduce reliance on external food systems.
Improving Access to Nutritious Food
Small food markets are not only family businesses, but also cultural and community gathering spaces. FJNWA works in partnership with small food markets and nonprofit organizations to improve access to culturally relevant fresh and staple foods in northwest Aurora.
By supporting these small food markets:
- We provide business coaching and connection to resources, including modest funding to make store improvements necessary to offer more fresh food, such as fruits and vegetables.
- We connect small food markets to financial and business resources to lower their costs of operation and improve their business viability.
- We help small food markets with signage, promotion, and storytelling to attract new customers in the neighborhood.
Building the Food Justice Movement
- We seek to support community members, including residents, students, and business owners, in being leaders in the local food justice movement. This includes:
- Hosting community conversations and trainings to build awareness and collective knowledge about critical current events and issues
- Training and supporting community leaders in engaging in planning and policy processes at the local and state level through public comments, advocacy, and community organizing
- Reading and participating in local and state-level campaigns for food system policy reform
- Listening deeply to the people of northwest Aurora about what matters most to them and how we should use our resources as an organization