The first time I met Mike, and learned of the work of DC Central Kitchen (DCCK), I knew I wanted to share their mission with all of you. The DCCK is a model social enterprise that is spreading across the country. There are over 80 similar programs in different cities, based on the DCCK model. They are addressing many of societal problems in a holistic, grassroots way. They started in 1989, mostly as a food recovery program, delivering meals to DCCK‘s homeless shelters. It was not long before the founder, Robert Egger, decided that to really help these people, he needed to create a way for them to get break the cycle of poverty. It was then, that he began the Culinary Job Training Program for residents of the shelters.

The DCCK now employs over 150 people, and 40% of them are graduates of the program. Since Mike has joined the organization, he has expanded their revenue generating, social enterprise catering to include locally-sourced, scratch-cooked meal service at 10 DCCK schools, and starting delivering fresh fruits and vegetables to corner stores in the DCCK food deserts in their Healthy Corners Program. Their program purchases produce from local farmers that is perfectly good, but not perfect for sale, at a discount, generating extra revenue for the farmer and keeping the food from being wasted. They train and employ people who would otherwise have a hard time finding a job, and they provide a fair livable wage, along with benefits. It is a win-win program from start to fining. To learn more about the DC Central Kitchen, please listen to our interview below, and visit their website at DC Central Kitchen.