Ro Kicker, Class of 2020. With a deep passion for farming, gardening, and community building, Ro can be found in many community spaces throughout St. Louis. Most recently, in November 2023, Ro founded Ro’s Wigglers, which finds great satisfaction in helping to spread the word about how beneficial vermicomposting is. They work to take the guesswork out of worm bins so that interested beginners can take that first step in their journey into the wonderful world of vermicompost!
For many years, Ro has felt drawn to the soil, to growing and donating food, and to connecting with the community through urban agriculture. In 2017, they founded and continue to run the Feed the People Garden Project out of their own backyard! With the help of community volunteers and some beautiful compost, they have worked to bring fresh food to those in the community who often need it most. At Feed the People Garden Project, Ro hosts a weekly community garden event, called Queers in the Garden, where folks are able to build community, learn gardening skills, and harvest and take home an abundance of fresh, organically grown produce. Feed the People Garden Project was the beginning of Ro’s fascination with soil health and diverting waste from the landfill and was the catalyst to them making their way into composting, and then vermicomposting, and eventually becoming a passionate worm farmer. Ro is now committed to helping others be able to reap the benefits of growing plants using living soils, and hopes to see a large ripple effect throughout the STL area as they spread awareness and education about the benefits of living soil!