June Volunteer ROOTS Shifts

FMIG is excited to continue its medical student volunteering partnership with ROOTS Young Adult Shelter in the U District located at 4541 19th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105. ROOTS is an overnight shelter for unhoused young adults ages 18-25 years old. They provide a variety of services, including meals, a place to sleep, and access to essential services. They rely on volunteers for much of their programing. If you want more information on ROOTS and volunteer responsibilities, you can check out their website: https://rootsinfo.org/

Shift responsibilities include: 

-Morning: hand out hygiene supplies, assist with laundry, help guests retrieve supplies from their cubbies, help clean up shelter, enforce program rules, and ensure the emotional and physical safety of the space

-Evening: set up the shelter each night, hand out hygiene supplies and bedding, and supervise guest activities such as computer time and smoke breaks

***Reminders! Show up to your shift 15 minutes early to meet with the on-site volunteer coordinator to be briefed. REMEMBER TO WEAR YOUR UWSOM ID for your shift!

Please solidify your commitment at least 2 weeks before your volunteer date. If something comes up after this time, and you can no longer make your shift, reach out to ROOTS at volunteer@rootsinfo.org to let them know. 

We can support ROOTS Young Shelter by providing donations! There is a $50 budget per shift for donations to ROOTS. If you plan to purchase donations for ROOTS guests, please do the following:

Indicate in the comments of your shift on Wejoinin how much you plan to spend on food/supplies so other volunteers on that shift are aware of the available budget

When purchasing donations, make sure the receipt ONLY has the food/supplies for ROOTS

Email your receipt and mailing address to Ivan Henson at famed@uw.edu

Reimbursement will be by check and sent to your mailing address

Suggestions for donation:

Snacks are always in need, so chips, pretzels, fruit snacks, granola bars, breakfast foods (sandwiches, burritos)

Or, check out ROOTS’ Amazon wish-list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/111NYCGYPCR8U?ref_=wl_share

**If you are purchasing items from the Amazon wishlist, please have donations shipped to your home and bring them with you to your shift at ROOTS. Do not ship items directly to ROOTS. This helps with tracking and compliance and avoids adding extra burden to ROOTS staff in receiving and managing deliveries.

Please reach out to Ashlyn (ashlynng@uw.edu), Romi (rkariv@uw.edu), or Sawyer (swebbe2@uw.edu) with any questions or concerns!

FMIG is generously supported by Washington Academy of Family Physicians funding.