Building Community by Breaking Bread

Gateways Episode 7

Coming off the heels of an education research report release event at the State House, Aimee and Tracy talk about local accountability in education as Beacon Hill takes up education funding reform. We continue our conversation around community building with a special trip to Salem.

Aimee and Tracy take us to experience Salem Meet & Eat – a family friendly community dinner hosted monthly at the Saltonstall Elementary School aimed at providing healthy, wholesome meals to residents across Salem. ROOT, a workforce training program focused on teaching culinary skills to disconnected youth and a 2018 Gateway Cities Innovation Awardee, prepares the meal for each dinner and Aimee caught up with Scott Knox the Executive Director of Root to learn more about the organization.

We also got the chance to talk to Mayor Driscoll about how the Meet & Eat got started, and Mayor Driscoll shares some best practices that may help other cities think about replicating a similar event.



Other special guests join us, like Head Chef of ROOT Sam Hunt, Kerry Murphy from Mass in Motion Salem, and one of the dinner’s youngest volunteers, ten-year-old Tennelly.

Listen HERE for an inspirational evening with a city that is bringing people together and building community by breaking bread together.

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