The Chinese saying goes:Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.This is what the Seattle-based Fare Start does. Not only does the charity provide meals for the homeless but it also teaches them cooking skills that prepare them for jobs in food service.
In Seattle, 13.2% of people live below the poverty (贫穷) line since its beginning in 1999. Fare Start has grown, graduating 100 people from its adult cooking training program in 2013, 90% of whom went on to well-paid job within 90 days of graduation. 88% of those people still held their positions six months later.
At Fare Start, students begin their training with simple tasks like reading recipes (菜谱) and planning menus. Many also receive housing. In return, they are required to work. Starting with helping in the kitchen preparing meals for people, the trainees (实习生) move their way up the ranks, ending up in the kitchen of the Fare Start restaurant in downtown Seattle.
The practical skill-training and other support services allow successful graduates like Jayna. She lost her job as a nurse due to alcohol abuse. Since graduating from Fare Start, she has worked in a small house at Yellow stone National Park. She said, "I could not have put myself back together again. Fare Start did that for me."
Kevin is another success story. He found that having to show up at the same place every day kept him on track. Upon leaving Fare Start, Kevin began setting goals for his future and seeing them through—including holding down his job for almost a year.
Going forward, Fare Start plans to shift more focus to women especially women with children.
