FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 10, 2026
24 Volunteers Launch 12-Day Campaign to Grow a Lasting Legacy at Festival Austin’s First Public Food Forest
Volunteer efforts aim to unlock a $25,000 matching grant, expand Austin's first public food forest, and spur community-led gardens across the country.
AUSTIN, Texas — Twenty-four Austin volunteers have launched an ambitious 12-day campaign to raise more than $100,000 to expand the Festival Beach Food Forest, Austin’s first public food forest, while helping fund community gardening initiatives nationwide.
Every donation made during the campaign will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000 through Big Green, a national nonprofit that invests in community-led food production. The matching grant gives supporters the opportunity to double their impact while accelerating the next phase of one of Austin’s most unique public spaces.But this campaign is about more than fundraising.
The volunteers behind ATX19 are working to turn years of long-term vision into immediate action.
Alongside raising funds, the team will spend hundreds of volunteer hours restoring the Food Forest by expanding native prairie habitat for birds and pollinators, planting new edible growing areas, reviving the community seed library, and creating custom-painted benches where visitors can gather, rest, and reflect.
The campaign will also provide unrestricted funding to support future educational programming and the Phase 2 development of the Food Forest, ensuring the space continues to serve Austin residents for years to come.
“This isn’t just about planting trees,” said Neil Dumra, captain of the ATX19 volunteer team and local Austin business owner of ThirdEye Cacao. “It’s about proving what can happen when ordinary people decide not to wait for someone else to solve a problem. A food forest isn’t built for the people planting it. It’s built for the families, kids, and neighbors who’ll enjoy it decades from now.”
Turning “Someday” Into “Now”
Nestled along Lady Bird Lake, the Festival Beach Food Forest is one of Austin’s most inspiring examples of community-led environmental stewardship. The volunteer-powered edible landscape offers free fruits, vegetables, herbs, educational workshops, volunteer opportunities, and welcoming gathering spaces while demonstrating regenerative agriculture and permaculture practices.
Like many ambitious community projects, however, its growth has often depended on available funding, volunteer capacity, and timing.
ATX19 hopes to change that.
Rather than waiting for “someday,” the team has challenged itself to rally donors, volunteers, businesses, and community partners in less than two weeks to help accelerate the Food Forest’s next chapter.
A Legacy People Can Taste
Unlike many volunteer projects that last a single afternoon, a food forest continues growing for generations. Children will learn where food comes from by picking fruit from living trees. Families will gather beneath the shade of trees planted by people they may never meet. Neighbors will harvest food from land that once sat underused.
Every contribution helps create a place that continues giving back year after year.
Local Roots. National Impact.
The campaign extends beyond Austin through a partnership with Big Green, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping communities grow their own food.
In addition to supporting the Festival Beach Food Forest, campaign proceeds will help Big Green invest in community-led gardening initiatives across the United States, improving food access, strengthening local resilience, and helping neighborhoods build healthier futures through food.
The partnership demonstrates how one local community project can inspire and help fund many more.
Community Invited to Get Involved:
Residents, businesses, foundations, and community organizations are invited to support the campaign by donating, sponsoring, volunteering, or sharing the effort throughout the Austin community. Every gift helps expand public green space, grow fresh food, restore habitat, and create a lasting resource that will continue serving Austin for generations.Donations made during the campaign also help unlock the full $25,000 matching grant, doubling every dollar’s impact.On August 20th, the 12-day campaign will culminate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration honoring the volunteer team who have built the Food Forest against all odds, giving them their grant, and unveiling the new planting area and beautification performed by Atx19. Local influencers and artists will be present, and the Austin community is invited to RSVP .
About Festival Beach Food Forest:
Festival Beach Food Forest is a volunteer-led edible forest garden located on public parkland along Lady Bird Lake in East Austin. Using regenerative agriculture and permaculture principles, the Food Forest provides free food, educational opportunities, ecological restoration, volunteer experiences, and welcoming community gathering spaces that are open to everyone. https://festivalbeach.org
About Big Green:
Big Green is a national nonprofit that invests in community-led food production by providing funding, infrastructure, and support to grassroots organizations working to improve food security, public health, and environmental resilience across the United States.
August 20 Details:
Where: Festival Beach Food Forest
When: Thursday August 20, 2026 5-7pm
RSVP for August 20th Celebration Ceremony:
Donate:
Support the ATX19 for Festival Beach Food Forest campaign:
For Press Inquiries:
Ariel Saint: [email protected]
Jeanette Provido: [email protected]