The Overland Expo Foundation is proud to announce the awarding of a $5,000 grant to Mountain Roots Food Project for their Yes! to Adventure – Youth Outdoor Summer Program. Yes! to Adventure is a youth outdoor summer camp designed to reduce barriers to outdoor access and help children in the rural Gunnison Valley build confidence, skills, and meaningful connections with the natural world.
ABOUT Mountain Roots Food Project
The Mountain Roots Food Project is a Colorado nonprofit that works to build a resilient, equitable local food system in the Gunnison Valley by connecting people, the land, and healthy food. They grow and distribute nutritious, regionally-produced food, teach farming and nutrition skills, support food access for all ages through programs like Farm to School and Backyard Harvest, and train the next generation of farmers.
The Impact
Each day, trained outdoor educators lead children into the forests, rivers, meadows, and high-alpine landscapes surrounding Gunnison. Campers spend full days outside exploring trails, learning to read maps, identifying plants and wildlife, building shelters, observing weather patterns, and practicing Leave No Trace principles. Through hands-on science activities—water testing in local creeks, tracking animal signs, exploring soil and rock formations—children learn how natural systems work and why protecting them matters.
The program blends adventure with practical skills: how to prepare for rapidly changing mountain weather, how to move safely across uneven terrain, how to work as a team, and how to take care of themselves and others in outdoor environments. Many families rely on the program for safe, structured summer care; for the children, it’s often their first chance to experience hiking, creek exploration, outdoor cooking, or a day on public lands.
By combining outdoor skill-building, environmental education, and equitable access, Yes! to Adventure helps kids grow into confident young explorers who feel at home in nature and committed to caring for the landscapes that define our region.
Learn more about Mountain Roots
For more information about Mountain Roots Food Project and their upcoming events visit their website: mountainrootsfoodproject.org.
Become a member of the Overland Expo Foundation to help fund similar on-the-ground projects. Visit our News & Projects page to learn more about past projects.
By investing in people and places, the Overland Expo Foundation is proud to support programs that use adventure as a pathway to lasting impact—on the trail, in communities, and in the lives of those who serve.