On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, the kitchen at the New Covenant United Methodist Church in East Hartford is rocking. Students from Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford are participating in a 12-week Sodexo Food Service Training Program. They are learning the ins and outs of working in a kitchen.
“It’s teaching me how to prepare meat, sanitizing, cooking, plus interacting with other people because we serve them also, too,” said Marcia Brown, who is a student.
The course teaches food preparation, kitchen safety, storage techniques and ServSafe certification lessons. All things that the students must learn into order to work in the industry.
“It’s a nice program. They help us get the skills to find a job from serving or cooking,” said Khaddouj Lafrairi, a student at LVGH.
So far, 87 people have finished the 12-week training. Thirty-seven became ServSafe certified, and 54 people have gotten jobs. For example, Sanita Appana now works full time for the East Hartford Public School District.
“It’s helped knowing people, people who you know. I know Leo. Leo knows my boss, and I applied there, and I got the job there,” said Appana.
The course also has an added bonus. Once the meals are made, the students put on a community dinner at the church, serving up the food they prepared. Students say they get satisfaction knowing they’re providing a warm meal.
For more information on the program, visit https://lvgh.org/.
On March 30, 2019, FOX 61’s Amanda Raus and Matt Scott will emcee the Read.Learn.Grow Gala for LVGH. Ticket information can also be found on the LVGH website.