About Roots for the Home TeamTM
Roots for the Home Team’s began a few years ago when entrepreneurial dietitian Susan Moores learned about youth garden programs and how they taught kids about food.
She soon discovered they were hitting all the right notes on the food front.
- Giving kids a greater appreciation for food as they learn what it takes to coax carrots from the ground and persuade peppers to proliferate.
- Tapping into and nurturing kids’ natural curiosity and interest in food.
- Creating and encouraging adventuresome eaters because the kids are personally invested in their food. Picky eaters? Not here!
Sue believed these programs’ successes deserved a bigger audience and venue in the hopes of growing their impact and influence. Why not someplace where eating is fun, where summer is embraced and fresh foods and flavors could shine? Why not at the ballpark?
True to Sue’s mantra… “If you’re gonna go – go big,” Sue knocked on the Minnesota Twins’ door. They answered and from there, along with other incredibly talented, generous parties Roots took root.
The first season has been a homerun. So many salads sold, so many happy stomachs, so many kids learning life-enhancing lessons, so many more opportunities to grow more roots.
Meet our Garden Program Partners
Eastside Garden Corps: Community Design Center of Minnesota
Since 1996, the Community Design Center of Minnesota has offered gardening, cooking and environmental programs for youth and families in St. Paul. Twenty-four teen interns operate seven neighborhood gardens. They teach interactive cooking and nutrition classes, reaching nearly 1,500 people each year.
The Emerge Homegrown Gardens team plants and harvests its own urban farm plots, supplying fresh produce to families and mini-farmers markets in North Minneapolis and area restaurants. Emerge Streetwerks youth work together to obtain new skills, practice teamwork and gain stewardship and leadership awareness.
Youth Farm & Market Project provides year-round experiential education and training through urban agriculture, gardens and greenhouses to more than 600 youth ages 9-24. The organization works in five neighborhoods including Lyndale, Hawthrone and Powderhorn in Minneapolis, and Frogtown and the West Side of St. Paul.
