The Root Cellar | Portland

A Personal Update from Joel Furrow.

For the past 14 years, Joel Furrow has served at The Root Cellar, first in Lewiston and the last 6 as the Executive Director. Today, he shares that he will be stepping into a new ministry opportunity in Maine and finishing his time with The Root Cellar at the end of July.

In his letter, Joel reflects on God's faithfulness, the people who have shaped his journey, and why he believes the best days of this ministry are still ahead.

"The future of The Root Cellar belongs to Jesus, and no one else. It’s in very good hands. He has been faithful every step of the way, and I have every confidence that He will continue to guide and provide for this ministry in the years ahead."

We are grateful for Joel's leadership and invite you to read his full reflection.

Full letter linked in the comments.

Please join us in praying for Joel and his family, our staff and Board, and the next chapter of The Root Cellar's story.

March Madness is here, and this year your bracket picks can do more than win bragging rights—they can invest in the lives of kids right here in Portland and Lewiston.
Join our Root Cellar Bracket Challenge:
✔ Make a donation of any amount
✔ Fill out your bracket
✔ Compete for prizes (and try to beat Joel's bracket!)
But the real win? Supporting Rooted After-School Mentoring, which serves 350+ kids each year with caring mentors, skill-building activities, and incredible experiences.
Be CLUTCH.
Just $20/month sponsors one child in our program!
Think your bracket can beat Joel? 😏
Let’s see it.
👉 Join MADNESS on a MISSION here: https://www.therootcellar.org/madness
And as always…
BEAT DUKE!

Welcomed by God: The Deeper Good News of Christmas | "This season invites us to reflect on the Christmas story: Mary, "great with child," and Joseph desperate to find a safe place to give birth, they end up in a stable. It is natural--and worthwhile--to draw parallels between their experience and the realities of people who find themselves on the margins, searching for home and belonging.

But what if we are looking at the story backward--using our present circumstances as the lens through which we interpret the birth of Christ? What if, instead, we allowed the deep truth of that story to become the lens through which we see everything else?"

Read more of this Christmas reflection from Joel Furrow, our Executive Director.
https://www.therootcellar.org/goodnews/349uroldjz4kty3j3sqf7xrmvklppq

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Carole Reid, a long-time, committed volunteer of our ministry for many years. She left an impact on so many neighbors and always did her work with a smile. What an honor it has been to be partnered with such a lovely and Godly woman. We join her children and grand children in mourning her loss and the hope found in the resurrection of Jesus.

In 2019, we featured her time with us in "Meet our Neighbors" series on he Good News blog: https://www.therootcellar.org/goodnews/2019/7/17/meet-our-neighbors-carole-reid

From her obituary:
"The biggest joys in her life were her family and friends, her church and volunteering at the Root Cellar on Munjoy Hill. Carole was known for her sharp wit, love of New York City and The Boss, Bruce Springsteen. She had a love of sweets and was always trying to recruit someone to take a road trip to Pennsylvania."

Read more at:
https://www.hobbsfuneralhome.com/obituary/carole-reid

Meet Our Neighbors: Carole Reid — THE ROOT CELLAR A New Home On bread distribution days, thousands of sullen-faced men in overcoats shuffled along the sidewalks. Many collected their free bread and withdrew to their shanty towns—the cramped villages of tin and plywood shacks they called home. It was 1934 and New York City was fracturing under the

Our annual Christmas Store is next week, and we need your help! We are looking forward to serving over 200 kids. Click the link below to sign up for a slot to help us set up the store, run the store, or clean up the store!

evite.me

BREAKING!!! Gifts given through December 31st will be MATCHED - up to $26,000!!!

Your gift will go so far -impacting the lives of our neighbor sin Portland and Lewiston. Afterschool Mentoring, Teen Work Readiness, English Classes for adults, food pantry, and more - your generous giving will create opportunities for our neighbors.

We depend on the generous giving from individuals and families - just like you! Make a gift today at www.TheRootCellar.org/take-action.

Thanks to a few generous donors - this Giving Tuesday, your generosity goes TWICE AS FAR, as every dollar donated will be MATCHED up to $26,000 through December 31st!

Your gift will create new jobs for teens, mentor children, train parents in English and work readiness - restoring and reviving homes and lives in Portland and Lewiston.
For us, it's an honor to be partnered with you in this work.

Visit our GIVE page at www.therootcellar.org/take-action to double your impact and love for our neighbors!

Each year, we hold the best bracket challenge around! Because it’s not just about college basketball, the one shining moment, the cinderella story, or the buzzer beaters. This bracket challenge has a mission, a purpose - to invest in the next generation of leaders in Portland and Lewiston through Rooted Mentoring! https://www.therootcellar.org/madness

Check out this VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY to celebrate Christmas with The Root Cellar, December 16th -20th! Click the link to sign up for a time slot to volunteer!

The Root Cellar's annual Christmas store provides our neighbors with a discounted opportunity to purchase Christmas gifts for their children. Through generous donations, our store sells brand new jackets, boots, and toys for only $2-5 each for community members and free of charge for shelter residents. Our goal is to empower families to shop for and give high quality gifts of their choice to their children. Volunteer roles include store set-up, assisting the store, and store tear-down.

Christmas Store Celebrate Christmas with The Root Cellar! The Root Cellar's annual Christmas store provides our neighbors with a discounted opportunity to purchase Christmas gifts for their children. Through generous donations, our store sells brand new jackets, boots, and toys for only $2-5 each for community memb...