The kitchen at Kelley Shelter in Medford is filled with stainless steel appliances, a toaster that can cook 200 slices in an hour, and a walk-in refrigerator.
Since March, it has been the training ground for a new eight-week internship program called Hope Kitchen, designed to help homeless residents gain more job skills and advance their career paths.
Kelly Shelter is run by Rogue Retreat, a homeless services provider in southern Oregon, and Hope Kitchen hosts people who participate in its program. The goal of the internship is to be her solution to one of the barriers homeless people often face when looking for work.
“Some of them may not have worked in a while. They may be out of state or have been here for a while but have no work history here,” Rogue Retreat's Society said. said Jana Stanley of the business. manager. “How do we help them create that work history so they can put it on their resume? And that's through the kitchen.”
After eight weeks, interns will receive a food handler card, ServSafe certification, and non-slip shoes, facilitating employment at area restaurants.
The kitchen serves approximately 400 meals per day to homeless people in the Rogue Valley. Kitchen Manager Robert Nash said the interns will start with shelter training modules and time and temperature records, then put them into dish stations like other restaurants do.
“The first things in the kitchen are cleanliness, hygiene, time and temperature, teamwork and communication,” Nash said.
Interns will be selected through an interview. Mr Stanley said they adhere to professional standards and work 40 hours a week. The position is unpaid, but Hope Kitchen receives some grant funding. He also works with his WorkSource in Medford to help residents with resume and interview skills, and is currently developing a boxed lunch catering program.
Jeffrey Hunt, Hope Kitchen's assistant manager, said the program has seen a significant increase in interns for its first class.
“This just gives them the opportunity to have some purpose and gain knowledge, life skills and connections that they didn't have, and even make friends within the community that they didn't have before,” he said. Told.
Hunt, who was previously homeless herself, said she appreciates the opportunities Hope Kitchen provides residents. This has never happened before.
“Just being able to help support the community is really rewarding for me,” he said.
Hope Kitchen recently completed its first session. The second time she is scheduled to start on May 21st. Two of her three graduates from the first batch are already employed. One is at Outback and he's at Steak House and she's at Hope Kitchen and Robert and he's at Renfro.
Renfro was living in his car with his wife in Medford when Rogue Retreat offered him a bed at the Kelly Shelter and told him about the internship.
“Both of us [were] I was like, “Okay, this is my chance.” “Let's embrace it, let's jump on it,” he said, “We are now 'yes' people, not 'no' people.”
“We're so excited because it's given a new lease of life to his family,” Stanley said. “He's great in the kitchen. He jumps right in and isn't afraid to learn. He's not afraid to work hard.”
Ms. Renfro currently works as a full-time kitchen assistant at the Kelly Shelter. He said the internship gave him an opportunity to showcase his abilities after not having worked in a while.
“The internship opportunity gave me a lot of confidence, which I didn't have when I first came here,” he said. “It was a good trip for me. [to] Prove yourself, my family, everything I had given up. This really brought everything back for me. [I’m] Things are going pretty well right now. ”
