Vegtember at Community Roots

Aim

The aim of Vegtember is simple and powerful: to improve the health of individuals, our community, and our beautiful planet by eating more pl

This September, we’re inviting you to harness the sense of change and new beginnings that can come at this time of year and turn the shift in seasons into a positive shift for your health, our community, and our beautiful planet.

We are very excited to launch Vegtember, a fundraising challenge that will raise much-needed funds to support our work while encouraging us all to think more about the food we eat, where it comes from, and how our choices can impact health in its widest sense.

Who are we?

We are Community Roots Cornwall, and our overall goal is to save the planet (because why wouldn’t it be?). We work towards this by growing food and community in planet positive ways.

What do we do?

Five years ago, we took on an acre of bare agricultural land, and with the help of an incredible and ever-expanding team of amazing volunteers, we've turned it into a thriving market garden, feeding around 75 families a week with delicious produce grown in nature-friendly ways. 

We sell our veg through a weekly veg bag scheme, with a four-tier pricing structure, which means those that can afford it pay more so that we can offer lower-price bags to those who otherwise couldn’t afford them; we believe good quality, locally grown food shouldn’t cost the earth (literally and metaphorically).

We work hard to create a space where everyone can feel welcome, contribute meaningfully to our project, and leave knowing they’ve helped make Community Roots what it is. Our volunteers range from 2 to 94 years of age, and we have jobs to suit all abilities.

Why Vegtember

Some studies suggest that eating 30 or more different plants weekly helps support a diverse gut microbiome, which in turn supports the health of your immune system. Consuming a diverse plant-based diet is linked to reduced levels of inflammation and a lower risk of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

It's not only vegetables that count, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, herbs, spices, and even coffee or dark chocolate are plants.

The Vegtember Challenge

There are no strict rules and no perfect way to do Vegtember, everyone can choose their own challenge to suit where they’re starting from. The ultimate goal is to eat 30 different plants a week, each week in September, but if that feels like too much, fewer plants and shorter durations are equally valid. It’s about finding a goal that feels like a challenge, but an achievable one. And if 30 feels too easy, why not push beyond and see what the maximum you can manage is?

Why fundraise for us?

Sadly, growing food and community in planet positive ways simply isn’t financially viable. The income we can generate from selling our veg doesn’t cover our expenses, and we don’t have enough income to spend time developing all the incredible projects that will both help to generate income and help us to save the planet. Every year we need to find around £40,000 in additional funding to be able to keep going and growing. Vegtember is a great way to help us fundraise in a way that is fun, educational and will hopefully have lots of other positive impacts for everyone involved; all our Directors have given the challenge a go to try it out and we have loved it!

How to get involved

Everyone can get involved. You can support someone doing the challenge, follow their progress and donate to their fundraiser, or you can take the challenge yourself and get friends and family to support you - or both! Find out more by visiting our webpage, and follow Vegtember’s progress on Facebook and Instagram.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 22nd October 2026 at 12:00pm