Tucsonans dreaming of adding a goat to the family will get their chance Wednesday, when Flowers and Bullets hosts a public goat adoption from 8 to 11 a.m. at Midtown Farm.

Co-founder and farm manager Tito Romero said the event is a way to connect community members not just to animals, but to culture, sustainability and one another.

Founded in 2012, Flowers and Bullets began as a group of neighbors organizing in living rooms and local parks. Today, it operates as a grassroots nonprofit collective combining sustainability and art to address social and economic issues.

“We started it in the Barrio Centro and Julia Keene communities because that's where we're from,” Romero said. “We’re really trying to provide resources and opportunities for the neighborhoods we are connected to and have deep roots in.”

Some of the group’s initiatives include rainwater harvesting, food and livestock production, composting and education programs. The collective operates on a 10-acre reclaimed property that was once the site of their old elementary school.

“This school was the first to be shut down by Tucson Unified School District in 2004,” Romero said.

The group began leasing the land in 2016 and in 2023 was finally able to purchase it.

Romero, who also leads development of the farm’s sustainable systems, is focused on restoring and improving the land to serve both people and the environment.

Flowers and Bullets has been raising goats from the start, not just for agricultural purposes, but also as a way to reconnect people with cultural and indigenous practices.

“Sheep, goats and animal husbandry have always been part of our traditions,” Romero said. “So how do we get people to reconnect? We start by introducing the fun and loving side of raising animals and then follow that with education.”

The goat adoption event kicked off Saturday and is the first time the collective has hosted a public adoption of this type. Romero said it’s a chance for community members to meet the goats, ask questions, learn about their care and possibly arrange to take one home at a later date.

“A lot of people have personal connections to our goats,” Romero said. “We wanted to give them a chance to adopt some of our new babies. We’re also hoping that if people adopt one, they stick around to learn how to raise them efficiently and lovingly.”

The event is open to all ages. Families are encouraged to bring their kids and their curiosity.

“People really love the goats,” Romero said. “They probably eat healthier than most of us — carrots, kitchen scraps, whatever people bring them. The community interacts with them daily. They have a huge fan base.”

But the goats have also faced challenges.

“We’ve had some of our baby goats stolen and killed,” Romero said. “That’s part of why this event is so important.”

In addition to livestock, Midtown Farm runs a number of other sustainability projects, including an ongoing composting program where community members can get a bucket and drop off their food scraps at the farm. The compost is then used to nourish crops in the farm’s fields.

They also have a food production project.

“We’re growing culturally relevant foods in a regenerative and efficient way, and making them affordable and accessible to our neighbors,” Romero said.

As a grassroots nonprofit, Flowers and Bullets relies on community support in the form of donations and volunteers.

“That’s what keeps these projects going,” Romero added.

Isabela Gamez is a University of Arizona alum and Tucson Spotlight reporter. Contact her at gamezi@arizona.edu.

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation.