A cooperatively owned center for community development, Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds leads initiatives and shares resources to meet their communities’ basic needs, from food access and wellness to social, educational and artistic programming.
Members with lived experience of poverty come together to lead their own projects — including worker co-op development, community owned real-estate, co-op housing, food access, mutual aid, labor organizing, youth and wellness programming, a community center, and mobilizing for direct action for legislative change .
“Our change-making process is deeply rooted in community organizing and coalition building with local and statewide networks,” Roots says. “Our economic development goals can only be accomplished with our incredible mentor, Cooperative Development Institute and our key statewide coalitions, Coalition of Worker Owner Power (COWOP) and MASEN (Massachusetts Solidarity Economy Network).”
“Together with local partner movement building groups, we bring to life community development projects that create access for vulnerable citizens at RE-Define Community Center (5 Melville St.) and O.U.R. Resurge (119 Fenn St.) that includes youth and wellness programming, food security, artistic, social, and educational opportunities, mutual aid support, peer skill sharing, and access to basic needs.”
