The Root Cellar is a community center serving inner-city children and their families in Detroit. Offering safe, chemical-free environment where children can engage in recreational and educational activities; essential services like medical and dental clinics; food distributions and clothing distributions – its holistic approach fosters social, economic and spiritual well-being for its patrons – it also happens to be Christian organization with its mission aligned with God’s kingdom!
Root Cellar dates back to 1984 when its first location opened its doors in a dirt floor basement in Portland’s Munjoy Hill area of Maine. A group from a Mennonite church offered this space as a positive alternative for teenagers seeking refuge from hanging out on streets or their own homes.
They started by offering a safe place for kids to come play games, enjoy snacks, and feel loved. In addition, they began providing English classes and job training workshops; many young people in their neighborhood were first generation immigrants who couldn’t speak much English – these classes provided them with essential lessons such as learning basic introductory phrases such as greeting someone by name; teaching weeks/ months/ seasons terminology; asking for assistance/ obtaining addresses/ telling time etc.
Today, The Root Cellar operates two locations in Portland and Lewiston with the mission of engaging neighbors and volunteers in pursuit of social, economic, and spiritual wellness aligned with God’s Kingdom – this includes initiatives such as Welcome Teams and Rooted Youth Mentoring.
Are You Searching For Ways to Engage in Your Local Community, or Wanting to Gain Knowledge About Urban Missions? The Root Cellar Is an Excellent Resource
The Root Cellar is a non-profit charity that relies on donations and volunteers for its programs, with their latest Form 990 submitted in 2023 and viewable here. Charity Navigator gave it two stars in 2019, which indicates areas for improvement including accountability and transparency scores, whistleblower protection policy, document retention/destruction policy etc.