ROOTS - Recognizing Other Opportunities To Serve

Overview:  Through our ROOTS program, Missoula Food Bank is able to provide a supply of commodity food staples to home bound, low-income seniors and child WIC graduates in our community each month.  This program is in partnership with the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, using USDA commodity food.  Each month, volunteers deliver items like cereal, milk, peanut butter, chili, and other staples to the doorsteps of seniors with mobility issues, and food is available for pickup at our store location for child clients.  We are currently serving 415 ROOTS clients.

The Need:  From 2011 to 2012, the number of seniors in our community who accessed emergency food assistance at Missoula Food Bank increased by 12.4%, accounting for more than 5,750 store services just last year.  

Children account for 1 in 3 Missoula Food Bank services. ROOTS can help families transition from the WIC (Women Infants and Children) program after children graduate at age 5.  

Program impact:  In 2012, Missoula Food Bank delivered 4,802 food packages through this program, and increase of 6% over 2011 totals.  This totals more than 146,000 lbs of food to low-income seniors and children in our community.  

How to Apply:  ROOTS commodities are available to low-income seniors and WIC graduates who meet the income qualifications set by USDA.  You can download a Senior ROOTS or WIC Grad ROOTS application here to begin the qualification process. For more information about ROOTS, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator.

How to Help:  We are always in need of ROOTS drivers!  This is a one afternoon per month committment (second Thursday of each month), and typically takes less than two hours.  Download a Volunteer Application here!  

If your group or business would like to sponsor a ROOTS delivery, please contact our Community Relations Director.