We announced our latest round of grantees in December, including two returning organizations joining our Partnership Circle with a two-year $50,000 grant. This month, we’d like you to get to know these extraordinary organizations! Please read below to learn about Stone Soup PDX, and see the email from earlier this month to learn about Pathlight HOME.
Stone Soup PDX in Portland, OR combines hands-on training, wraparound support services and real kitchen experience to help participants build skills, confidence and pathways to long-term employment. The program operates under the belief that culinary education nourishes every aspect of a person’s life — not only their employment prospects, but also their dignity and daily wellbeing.
Students gain proficiency in food preparation, sanitation, and menu planning for a commercial kitchen. But many lack the resources to apply those same skills at home, especially when limited by a tight food budget. Participants in the program often rely on SNAP or other food assistance.
JPF Partnership Circle Funding over the next 2 years will help support the launch of a new initiative at Stone Soup called “Smart Cooks, Smart Choices” that will teach participants how to make fresh, healthy meals at home on a SNAP budget. This addition to the curriculum is a replicable model that can be shared with other organizations, and will include a print and digital recipe collection focused on cooking at home. Students will learn how to build a weekly meal plan, navigate food costs in grocery stores, choose fresh ingredients, and stretch limited resources. The program will also add cooking labs that feature SNAP-eligible ingredients and low-waste, flavorful meals inspired by Jacques Pépin’s simple and accessible food philosophy.
The JPF is proud to continue to support Stone Soup as the only hospitality training program in their region specifically helping adults facing employment barriers find stability, self-sufficiency, and opportunity in culinary education.