The Light House’s culinary employment training program has been awarded a $5,000 grant from Safeway Foundation’s WE CARE program—a voluntary employee giving campaign sponsored by Safeway employees. This grant will provide much needed support by directly funding The Light House’s Building Employment Success Training (B.E.S.T.) culinary program, which provides hands-on job skills training to individuals who suffer from significant employment barriers.
This year, Safeway Foundation awarded We Care grants to 23 Baltimore-Washington region non-profit organizations. To celebrate these grant awards, Safeway Foundation hosted an official We Care grants ceremony at their Lanham division headquarters. Light House Director of Culinary Services, Linda Vogler, and Light House Associate Director of Development, Anne Ryan attended this ceremony and were presented with the grant check.
“People who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless are a population who experience the most difficulty finding employment. Yet employment is the critical link to stable housing, self-sufficiency and to ending the cycle of homelessness,” said Light House Director of Culinary Services, Linda Vogler. “Our workforce development programs promote self-sufficiency and independence for those struggling with barriers to employment. These programs rely on the generosity of our community, and we are very grateful to have the support of Safeway Foundation and the many Safeway employees who donate to the WE CARE grant program.”
The B.E.S.T. program is The Light House’s hallmark employment-training program and provides the technical training, soft skills, and wraparound services needed to get men and women back on their feet and work ready. The program has trained over 330 people since 2012, with 100 percent of our B.E.S.T. graduates having passed their exit exams, qualifying them for gainful employment in Anne Arundel County and beyond.
