Our Story

• Cultivating a relationship of respect and responsibility with nature and the living entities on this earth.

• Food justice- all people and beings have the right to clean food, water and a healthy environment.

• Supporting local economies to empower regenerative practices and build relationships with the lovely people in our communities.

• Connecting with one another through learning opportunities and food.

• Healing, rewilding and restoring natural spaces in different regions throughout the world including Hawai’i.

• Acknowledging colonization in America, working in partnership with indigenous peoples to restore the land and native peoples connection with it.

I started Hopeful Roots with the intent to help people reconnect with the earth. I believe understanding and healing our planet starts on our plate. My mission is to help others grow food in regenerative permaculture model in their backyards, in their apartments and in community spaces to empower the relationship they have with their food, community, animals and earth. Growing up in the suburbs, in an area properly named Rockland county, having a successful garden was anything but easy. While my grandparents had experience growing food whether in a backyard garden or on a farm, the knowledge was not imparted to me as a child. I did, however, get to hunt for berries in the woods with my brother and go to farms sampling delicious seasonal goodies. This is where my curiosity and love of food began.

As an adult, I wasn’t confronted with being disconnected from my plate until I began to experience continual fatigue. As a young twenty something working as a teacher in a public school, I knew there was something deeper going on. This was the start into a long journey into US food culture, how food is grown in our community and my desire to grow my own food.

The more I learned about what chemicals were used in growing food, the hazardous effect to ourselves and the environment, the more questions I had about the process. Unfortunately, as a customer I found that even at farmers markets I was not offered much transparency about the food I was putting into my body. I started seeking out workshops and certifications to teach myself how to grow my own food which lead me to Permaculture Design.

My journey has taught me that there are many people like myself who have become disconnected with their roots and are seeking how to grow healthy food regeneratively and in relationship with one another. However, the biggest obstacle we face is the time to learn all this content and apply it while sustaining a 9 to 5 job. This is where Hopeful Roots comes in. We are here to help you regain the knowledge of growing your own food and help you to endeavor to do it in a way that is in harmony with nature.

We believe that all people have the right to clean food and knowledge about the food they eat. We look forward to help you reconnect and become rooted with the land where you live.

Founder & Owner, Kelly Collins

Jeremiah O’Brien

Jack of All Trades

Jeremiah grew up in New York with the Appalachian trail in his backyard. With the forests being his playground as a kid, you can still find him climbing around in trees today. He’s been building since the age of 8 when as a cub scout, he learned to make his first wooden bench. After high school, Jeremiah worked in several different fields of construction across the country. He spent several years before the age of 20 working on siding and roofing jobs with his father. 

The last company he was employed by sent him out to Hawai’i for work, right around the time he had started learning about permaculture. Before being introduced to permaculture he had been acquiring knowledge in herbalism and survival skills. Inspired by Dande Lion’s class on herbalism, Jeremiah’s interest to teach others about the value of medicinal plants heightened. He led a Foragers and Mushroom workshop class in association with the nonprofit Grow Local Greenwood Lake in New York. 

The Big Island of Hawai’i, has been calling Jeremiah all his life and he enjoys being able to homestead the 3 acre jungle where he currently resides. His first introduction to the island was through the fruit tree planting foundation where he helped manage their land in Puna. Here he deepened his understanding of Hawai’i staple food crops, working in community as well as building and maintaining off grid systems. While living in Puna, Jeremiah, worked with Malama o Puna’s Keau’ohana rainforest crew to help the conservation effort to restore the last intact lowland rainforest. Being a part of the crew helped him grow his knowledge for identifying native and invasive species to the island while also helping natives thrive. His appreciation for permaculture systems expanded further when he moved to south kona and managed the Honaunau Farm and Wellness Retreat Center. With 7 structures, 7 sheep, 3 goats, 2 cats, 1 dog, roughly 40 chickens, 40 ducks, 13 acres, dozens of fruit trees, over a hundred bananas, over a hundred macadamia nut trees Jeremiah was inspired further to want to help others learn how to grow medicinal edible foods in relationship with the land, plants and animals. With all of these experiences, Jeremiah brings medicinal plant wisdom, animal husbandry, off grid system building, construction knowledge, team leading and experiential teaching to the Hopeful Roots team.