support root

Your support helps provide youth, ages 16 to 26 with a pathway to employment and financial independence.

Root’s 14-week, 240-hour program of direct kitchen and classroom training provides students with technical and experiential education in the culinary arts.  Equally important, Root’s program emphasizes five critical skills employers expect and which correlate with continued success: social and cognitive skills, self-agency, communication, and confidence.

Many employers will match contributions. Please ask yours if they will match your support of Root.

Seed Opportunity - Join Root as a sustaining donor!

A single gift makes a big impact - and a monthly sustaining gift, at any level, helps Root keep going and growing. Join our sustainer giving program today and your contribution keeps Root Trainees prepared with the learning materials they need to feed their opportunity - and you! A sustaining gift delivers lasting support for our programs.

See what a monthly gift can do:

• $10/month for one year provides a monthly transportation stipend for a Root trainee

• $25/month for one year supports test prep, coaching, and exam materials for one Root alumni to earn their ServSafe Manager professional certification 

• $50/month for one year covers a learner’s permit, driving lessons, and licensing fees for a Root graduate to earn their driver’s license.

• $100/month for one year provides a two-week paid externship experience, plus wrap around support, for a student enrolled in the Alumni Employment Program
  

  *For more information, contact Faith Emerson at femerson@rootns.org or 978-616-7615 ext. 106.

Make a wire transfer or a gift of securities.

Click here for information on how to make a wire transfer or a gift of stock, or contact Faith Emerson.

For paperwork purposes, Root’s legal name is
Root NS Inc.
Shetland Park
35 Congress Street, Suite 2350
Salem MA 01970

Our tax identification number is: 47-5454938

Volunteer

• Root Summer Community Catering Volunteer Program - Friday mornings, 9:30-12:00 p.m., July 11th through September 26th. Activities will include light food prep - sorting, cleaning, and breaking down product from the farm partners and food rescue partners such as Boston Area Gleaners and Spoonfuls for use in soups, meals, or bags of lightly processed veggies for Root’s Community Meals. Volunteers will work alongside a Root alumni leader to help with a variety of kitchen tasks, including washing, peeling, cutting, traying, scooping, and portioning. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old (or 15 years old with a chaperone). Root will provide aprons, gloves, and hairnets. Please wear closed-toe shoes and ankle-length pants, tie long hair back, and avoid wearing tank tops and jewelry. The kitchen can be hot, so dress accordingly and bring a closed-lid water bottle. To sign up directly, click here. For more information, contact Caitlin Bayer.

• Mock Interviews and Resume Workshops
  During the Root program, youth are provided with opportunities to test out their workforce skills in a supportive environment, including interview practice. Volunteers are needed to meet one-on-one with Youth Trainees to help build and edit resumes and conduct mock interviews. Some prior experience in hiring is preferred but not required, and a brief training session is available before each session.

• Guest Chef or Industry Speaker
  Part of preparing young people for success in the workforce is exposing them to different styles of instruction, cuisines, and career paths. Root seeks to highlight a variety of different cuisines and culinary careers for our youth and welcomes a variety of professionals to come in and share their passion and expertise with our youth.

• Host a Root Trainee
  Offer to host one of our youth at your restaurant or business or connect us with possible host sites or employment opportunities. Contact Merlinda Philippe for more information.

• General Support
  Occasional support for a variety of projects from community meals to readying the workshop and computers in between cohorts, periodic inventory projects, etc.

• Event Support
  Be a part of Root’s fundraising and community outreach events.

Contact Faith Emerson for more information at femerson@rootns.org or 978-616-7615 ext. 106

Spread the Word!
Follow us on social media, come to an event, share with your friends why you support Root! Help us get the word out about our Youth Job Training Program, and about our Catering and HarborPoint event space.