Second Harvest Food Bank Receives Grants
for Triad Community Kitchen Program

Winston-Salem , N.C.—June 16—Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC has received the following grants to support its Triad Community Kitchen program:

Kate B. Reynolds Poor and Needy Division $110,000
TCK Operations-Salaries to increase food production capacity and enhance job training. 3 year grant commitment of $110,000.

The John W. and Anna H. Hanes Foundation $30,000
TCK Operations- Salary for Executive Chef, used to train students in a 10 week culinary arts program which includes a one week internship. The program helps stimulate the local economy by offering life and work skills to unemployed or underemployed individuals which will enable graduates to earn a livable wage.

Sodexho Foundation $5,000
TCK Operations- Train individuals for a productive work life and offer graduates employment opportunities.

Wachovia Foundation $4,000
TCK Graduate training seminars, student uniforms, and classroom books.

About Triad Community Kitchen:

Students of Triad Community Kitchen’s free, 10-week culinary training program designed by Guilford Technical Community College's Culinary Program are referred by partners like Goodwill Industries of Northwest NC and generally are underemployed or unemployed and in some cases homeless. Throughout the 10-week session, students have the opportunity to “give back” to Second Harvest Food Bank as they use donated and purchased food to produce vacuum sealed, ready-to-heat meals in bags for distribution to our partner agencies.

Under the direction of Chef Jeff Bacon , a certified executive chef, students are trained and certified in ServSafe® sanitation and learn basic culinary skills, knife skills, kitchen safety, mass food production and cook chill technology. Real world job experience is gained through a one-week internship with a local food service organization or restaurant, preparing participants for sustainable, gainful employment in the under staffed food service and hospitality industries.

Overcoming the barriers to employment that many Triad Community Kitchen students have faced is an important key to their ultimate success. For this reason, the program incorporates instruction and activities designed to help them improve their level of workplace readiness.

A national program of America ’s Second Harvest, The Nation’s Food Bank Network, there are currently 38 network members operating Community Kitchens across the nation, and an additional 50 independently operated programs.