After gardening for two years with support from the IRC’s New Roots program, Qilan begins to dream of the future.

As an essential part of our broader resettlement efforts, the New Roots program enables refugees to celebrate their heritage and nourish themselves and their neighbors by planting strong roots—literally—in their new communities.

High rates of unemployment and Covid-19 infection among New American community members has contributed heavily to lack of stable access to adequate amounts of nutritious food . Refugees and immigrants have been some of the hardest hit populations in the country, disproportionately experiencing food and nutritional insecurity due to their high rates of employment in “gig economy” and other job sectors like food, hotel, and health which have been heavily impacted by the pandemic. Help new American communities combat hunger with a gift to IRC's food security programs in the U.S.

The New Roots program helps refugees reestablish their ties to the land, celebrate their heritage and nourish themselves and their neighbors by planting strong roots in Sacramento.