About · Roots Worth Tending

How it started

It started at a Seattle bus stop in October 2025, when the man sitting next to Michael wrung out his wet socks and pulled on a dry pair. That story opens the current drive, and the original post that launched the first one is preserved on the Backpack Project page.

Since then the same approach has carried a supply drive, a silent auction, and now a second winter of bags — each with its own page and its own record.

The founder

Roots Worth Tending was started by Michael Bosse, in Everett.

Michael posted the first list on October 19th, 2025, promised a screenshot of every purchase, and handed out the finished backpacks twenty-six days later. Everything since has run the same way: priced in public, bought in order, given by hand.

How the money works

ItemsEach drive lists its items with the case size, the unit price, and a link to the supplier's own product page.
PaymentsPayments run through Stripe. The totals shown on this site are read from the payment processor's records, not kept by hand.
BuyingItems are bought as whole cases once funded, working down the list in order. Finished drives stay up with what was bought and what it cost.
StatusRoots Worth Tending is not a registered 501(c)(3). Contributions are not tax-deductible. Nobody is paid, and there is no office.

Contact

Questions, corrections, and partnerships: partnership@rootsworthtending.com. If something on this site doesn't add up, say so and it gets fixed.