Grantee Spotlight: Baking Skills to Life Skills - Helping Clients Build Hope for the Future
Grantee Spotlight: Baking Skills to Life Skills - Helping Clients Build Hope for the Future
With one child to care for and another on the way, two unemployed parents would be desperate to find employment. Living on little to no income with the expenses of rent, food, diapers and so many other necessities to pay for, Becky and her husband went to Career Path to get help finding jobs. That’s where Becky was introduced to Transitions' New Leaf Bakery-Café Job Training Program.
Although Becky said she struggled at first in the kitchen, she learned quickly and was a devoted student.
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| Becky and Chef Instructor Vira Melendez-Redman |
“It was challenging when the other girls wouldn’t show up or would drop out of the program, a lot of work fell on my shoulders, but I just learned to adjust,” said Becky.
By the end of the program Becky felt she had learned what she needed to get a job and succeed in the food industry.
“Of course I learned some baking skills, cooking skills and organizational skills, but what really helped were the life skills. Chef made a lot of things in my life make sense. Things that were hard for me to understand became clearer. I learned I need to be responsible for myself and my actions,” said Becky of Chef Instructor Vira Melendez-Redman.
Becky had a hard childhood and promised to do better for her children. Her parents were both alcoholics and she described her family situation as “stressed.” Her mother had multiple sclerosis and recently passed away.
“I wasn’t very close to my mother. I have always kept my life private, I never told my family about our financial struggles,” said Becky. “My greatest quality is that I learn from other people’s mistakes, and I knew I wanted to raise my kids better than my parents raised me.”
Becky is now employed as a baker with Thomas Hammer. She is proud to have a job and income to help support her family. “This program is exactly what I needed. I was depressed not working for two years. This gave me hope for the future—a light at the end of the tunnel that I could see.”
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