EMERGENCY NEEDS
Twin Waterproof mattress pads • Twin and twin XL bedding • Extra long twin bed sheet sets (used and new) • Snow pants in all sizes • Boots in adult sizes and kids 9 and up • Coats (girls 8, 14; boys 12, 14, 16, 18; men’s small) • Backpacks • Children’s toothpaste • Infant toothpaste • Flossers • Butt paste • Diaper rash medicine • Three in one kids body wash/shampoo/conditioner • Face wash • Detangler • Female razors
The Safe House Campaign
We are building a safe house for displaced children to have temporary housing and care until their placement is found. This is filling a vital gap in the system, and we need your help! Head over to the Safe House page now to learn more and donate to the cause.
SHOE SENSATION
When you buy a pair of shoes to donate, you get 20% off YOUR entire purchase. This includes sale/clearance items and the donated shoes!
Shoe Sensation Address: 727 S. Centerville Rd, Plaza, Sturgis, MI 49091
Rooted of St. Joseph County, Inc.
Meeting the most basic needs during the most vulnerable situations.
WHO WE ARE
Rooted of St. Joseph County, Inc.
We formed in the fall of 2019 because we recognized that there are so many broken families that need help in our community. We realized that there are many children entering the foster system without the security of enough foster families to provide homes for them. We realized that children being removed from unsafe homes were often left in a sort of limbo for a time as the search for an available foster family was conducted. We realized that there are many who are willing to help others, but they just don’t know how. So, we decided to take the step to get more involved. We want to help mend broken families. We want to help grow the number of available foster families in St. Joseph County. We want to create a more comfortable, simpler transition between removal and foster placement. We want to help create communication and unity between the numerous community resources available and the people that need them. We would love to have you join us as we work to make these goals a reality.
WHAT WE DO
We aim to provide every child going through a traumatic transition in our community with their basic needs, so that they can shamelessly enter their new placement home with their very own clothing, shoes, seasonal gear (boots, coats, hat & gloves), bathroom and hygienic supplies, towels, and bed sheets—all packed in a new, blue duffel bag that we also provide. Though most of our clothing is gently used (except socks and underwear), everything else we provide, from shoes to hair spray to bed sheets, is brand new.Â
We also offer supplemental supplies depending on the need and situation, such as racially-diverse hair care products, lice kits, professional grade, melt-away dryer bags for bed bug concerns, diapers, wipes, formula, and gift cards, if we don’t have something on hand.
In addition, we also desire to provide critical items that the placement home or family may be in need of—bed frames, mattresses, changing tables, and more.
Our simple desire is to meet any and all immediate need in order to help ease the stress of the traumatic transition for both the children and the placement family. Though we began as a foster ministry for St. Joseph County, Michigan, we have now been able to expand to offer our services to families of various types of placements, including guardianship and kinship, and we are available now for children of Cass County, Michigan.
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OUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE
Safe House
We have purchased land in Centreville where we are making plans to build a home which will provide a place for children to clean up, be fed, and play during the time of transition, between removal and long-term placement. Our goal is that this home will provide a comfortable and calm environment for the children, as well as a work space for agency workers to accomplish placement tasks.
Up-to-date information including how the project is coming along and our financial campaign can be found by clicking HERE.
Foster Family Recruitment & Training
We want to help expand the outreach and education regarding the need for, and training of, new foster families for St. Joseph County.
Preventative Training and Care
Reactive care is necessary, but Rooted desires to work to mend the broken of our community before things become desperate, unsafe or criminal. Preventative parenting, marriage and communication classes, as well as low-cost counseling services are all parts of our goal to be preventative.
Community Connections Center
We believe a great resource for our community will come through the creation of a community center for low-cost community activity and social services, featuring a gym, classroom and meeting rooms, a conference center, and more.
This center would be a place where preventative services could take place. Families and county agencies could use the center for visitations and family trainings. Counseling facilities would be on-site. And, of course, indoor community activities and events would have a home here. Basketball, martial arts, swimming, weight lifting and running—the sky is the limit!
County Resource Unification
There are many great ministries, agencies and resources that are available in St. Joseph County. Our goal is to grow communication between them, and increase community knowledge of them, unifying the services of our county.
Transitional Housing Program
We plan to expand our transition homes to create locations that do not just offer service for immediate removal situations, but provide longer-term opportunity for foster transitions, including up to 45 day transitionary stays and respite care.Â
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Become a foster parent
Tell others about the need
Financially support Rooted
Volunteer at Rooted
support us and change the course of a child’s life today!
P.O. Box 173 | Centreville, MI 49032
connect@rootedsjc.com
269-503-3907