Homeless Charity Opens Fashionable Restaurant

A nonprofit group that trains homeless people to work in food-service jobs has opened a swanky new restaurant, reports The Seattle Times, which also gives a favorable review of the food served.

Built with $8-million from a fund-raising campaign, the upscale FareStart Restaurant employs homeless people from the charity’s program, while also using volunteers who donate their tips. One night a week, a prominent local chef volunteers to head the kitchen. Prices are kept low, despite the restaurant’s high-end location.

FareStart’s 16-week program offers social services and job training, and participants prepare 2,500 meals a day for homeless shelters and day-care facilities. Half of the program’s graduates go on to take jobs in the food-service industry.

For more on how charities are using businesses to further their missions, read The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s recent coverage.

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