SALEM — As the stubborn coronavirus pandemic continues to grip the country, there’s an ongoing effort in Salem to address food security issues resulting from it.
Root, a non-profit organization whose mission is to help young adults become independent through food service training and employment, is partnering with the Salem Pantry to support residents who may be having trouble buying food.
Along with Sam Hunt, Root’s chef, a team of Root alumni employees have been preparing nutritious meals for the pantry’s mobile markets twice each month. With support from individual donors, as well as CARES Act funding awarded through the City of Salem, Root provides the pantry with individual meals to help augment their ongoing food distribution and hunger relief efforts
Over the course of 2021, the Root-Salem Pantry partnership hopes to provide 1,800 nutritious meals to individuals, and focuses on what each agency does best.
In operation since 1991, The Salem Pantry provides food to Salem residents weekly through mobile distribution sites, plus deliveries to home-bound individuals and households that have been affected by COVID-19. Since the pandemic began in the area last March, the pantry has distributed food to 2,600 Salem households and more than 7,500 individuals. Its programs have helped distribute a monthly average of 75,000 pounds of food within the community.
“The Salem Pantry is working collaboratively to increase and improve food access to vulnerable community members and build in resiliency to be ready for future challenges,” said Robyn Burns, executive director at The Salem Pantry. “Root is a key partner in this work and their prepared meals provide a wonderful addition to our mobile distribution program.”
Root launched the Community Catering Initiative last March for home-bound seniors. A year later, what began as a temporary response has become part of regional efforts to provide hunger relief. Each week, Root’s youth team produces more than 600 fresh meals for seniors, adults, and children facing food insecurity across the North Shore. In the last year, Root’s youth employees have prepared more than 25,000 meals.
“We are so grateful to work together with The Salem Pantry to serve our home community of Salem,” said Scott Knox, Root’s executive director. “In addition to a healthy meal, each dollar of support for Root’s Community Catering goes deeper, providing meaningful employment, training and leadership development for young adults, and income to our local farm partners and producers who we source from.”
“Since last March, we have prioritized food security assistance for those in need,” said Mayor Kim Driscoll. “We know how critical it is to provide these kinds of supports to our most vulnerable residents. The need for food assistance predates the pandemic, of course, and collaboration and innovation have been core components to addressing hunger relief in Salem.
“I’m grateful to community partners like Root and The Salem Pantry for all of the important work they undertake, and especially over this past year,” Driscoll said. “When organizations come together, each bringing their best in service to others, our whole community wins. In this partnership, The Salem Pantry brings long-standing hunger relief work and existing infrastructure to food distribution in our community, and Root’s youth graduates are further developing their culinary skills through healthy scratch-cooking for those in need, and at above minimum wage employment.”
