Founder and Director Sue Moores
ROOTS uses salads as an “appetizer” to a new world of opportunities for youth.
Roots for the Home Team® began when entrepreneurial dietitian Sue Moores was inspired by community youth garden programs. They teach young people to appreciate and enjoy food by immersing them in its creation. She decided to take the concept a few steps further into the food chain, and create a field-to-field program where those same youth turn their produce into delicious salads, then work selling those salads to a bigger audience, such as one summer’s favorite events, baseball games. In the process, they grow entrepreneurial skills, gain culinary skills, sales and marketing experience, courage and confidence.
After a few seasons at the ballpark, the youth asked to learn more to keep their growing going. That led to a partnership with the University of Minnesota and the chance for ROOTS’ young people to get a better understanding of who they are, what they care about and new pathways toward reaching their hopes and dreams.
Systemic inequities greatly limit opportunities for BIPOC youth. Since that initial ask by participants to dig deeper with ROOTS, their voices and perspectives have become the program’s compass on what resources, tools and insights are meaningful and needed to forge forward. Staff work alongside young people to lower barriers and create opportunities that build their capacity to realize the future they want.

Youth Advisory Council
Alfredo Alvarado, Carl Childs, Kajia Lee, Zarea Mobley, Desire Negron, Abdul Sesay and Michael Vang.
Board of Directors
ROOTS 2021 Leadership Team
Laura Rosenboom
Operations
Roots for the Home Team
Angie Andresen
Director of Communications
Ecumen
Brian Garshelis
Chair
Executive Director
New Sector
Vanessa Gill
Family & Community Engagement Coordinator
Osseo Area Schools
Dave Horsman
VP Ballpark Operations
Minnesota Twins
Randy Larson
Secretary
Founding Partner
Shinebox
Marshall Lehman
Treasurer
Senior Finance Director
Factory Motor Parts
Tom Tefft
Vice Chair
Retired Executive
Medtronic
Bertrand Weber
Director Culinary & Wellness
Minneapolis Public Schools
Megan Wolle
Community Relations & Foundation Manager
Land O’ Lakes
Our Vision
A community where every young person is able to see and create the future they want.
Seeding Youth Success
Roots for the Home Team works with youth participating in community garden programs to cultivate personal and professional growth.
Through the Finding Your Roots Curriculum and the SaladUP! Concession Cart, Roots youth discover and stretch their abilities through real-world work experience. Roots participants build on their own strengths to create the future they want for themselves.
We believe young people come strong and courage creates opportunity.
How ROOTS Works
Eat greens. Inspire teens. Everyone wins.
Roots for the Home Team is the next step for youth already participating in community gardens. Using the produce they have grown, teens create gourmet salads with local chefs, gain work experience selling those salads at Target Field, and take university-level courses to discover their strengths to help them become who they want to be as adults.
Roots for the Home Team works in 2 ways:
1.
SALADUP!
CONCESSION CART
Real-world work experience:
- Salad Creation with
Celebrity Chefs - Running the SaladUP!
Concession Cart - Youth Advisory Council
2.
FINDING YOUR ROOTS
CURRICULUM
Discovering strengths through:
- Leadership Development
- Entrepreneurial Knowledge
- Future and Career Planning
Get Involved with Roots
Step up to the plate and become a ROOTS Youth, Supporter or Mentor.

Become a Roots Food Partner or Program Sponsor
Are you an Urban Farm or food supplier? Are you a retail business interested in selling ROOTS salads? Would you like to serve Roots salads at your next event?

Volunteer as a Youth Mentor or Chef Coach
Would you join one of our workshops to discuss your professional career experience and pathway? Are you a chef who would share your talent by guiding ROOTS youth as they create their salad recipes?

Donate
Simply put, money makes many experiences more attainable. Roots for the Home Team does everything in its power to clear pathways to success for our youth. Will you join our team to make these bright futures all the easier to reach?
Become a ROOTS Youth
All Roots for the Home Team participants connect with our organization through Minneapolis and St. Paul urban farms. Are you a teen interested in joining Roots for the Home Team? Check out our youth Garden Program partners.