Roots Rising’s mission is to empower youth and build community through food and farming. Our vision is to lift up teens as community changemakers and strengthen the local food system through the transformational power of meaningful work.
Roots Rising has three main initiatives: our Pittsfield Farmers Market, our Youth Crews, and our upcoming Farm and Education Center.
Our Pittsfield Farmers Market is the first teen-run market in the region and was the first year-round market in Berkshire County. It was founded with the belief that everyone should have access to fresh, healthy food. In 2024, our market welcomed over 14,000 visitors and served 633 low-income households through Market Match. It also provided vending opportunities for 64 farmers, food producers, and artisans.
In our Youth Crews, we hire Pittsfield teens to work on farms, in food pantries and at our own market. It’s more than just a job. It’s an opportunity for teens to engage in meaningful work—work that needs to be done and serves a larger social good. We believe meaningful work leaves youth feeling purposeful, capable and connected. On an average year, we take 180 students through the job application process, which involves an application, a group interview, and a reference form, and hire approximately 41 applicants to our Youth Crews.
Our upcoming Farm and Education Center represents the integration of our food justice and youth development work. This transformative space will be the heart of our operations, where we will nurture the next generation of food system changemakers, and where we will welcome the community to connect to the land, grow food, and learn alongside us.