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Volunteer-run Roots Dreams and Mustard Seeds reports serving hundreds of families monthly and seeks community-building support
Summary
Michael Hitchcock said Roots Dreams and Mustard Seeds, run by volunteers for four years, serves between 380 and 600 families monthly with free food and clothing and partners with Berkshire Bounty and Western Mass Food Bank; he said community navigators are informal volunteers without a formal training program.
Michael Hitchcock, Co-Executive Director of Roots Dreams and Mustard Seeds, told the council the volunteer-run nonprofit provides free food and clothing and partners with Berkshire Bounty, Western Mass Food Bank and local farms.
Hitchcock said between 380 and 600 families come each month for services. He described community navigators as informal volunteers who are given lists of referral contacts rather than a formal training program. The group has been volunteer-run for about four years and is seeking assistance with community building.
Council Chair Rosalind Kopfstein asked about navigator training; Hitchcock reiterated volunteers are informal and currently lack a formal training program. No funding motion or vote is recorded in the meeting minutes about this presentation.
