Our Impact
From the CEO
Pathways Kitchen remains deeply committed to helping justice-involved youth thrive, not just survive. This year, we saw remarkable progress - young people in our program became 95% more confident in communicating and advocating for themselves - demonstrating the growing self-determination at the heart of our mission.
For some, progress begins with exploration. One young person took a gap year to realign their goals, while another discovered a passion for photography and received mentorship from a professional. These moments reflect a powerful truth: when offered support, youth begin shaping their own vision for the future.
For others, their clarity fuels growing self-efficacy, and no two paths are the same. One young woman placed with an employment partner just six months ago now earns a living wage. Another is thriving in her fourth semester of college on her path to becoming a veterinary tech.
Every indicator matters - wages earned, lessons learned, meals cooked, plates served. Our model is working, and our young people are proving what’s possible. As we look ahead, we remain inspired by their resilience and committed to expanding pathways forward.
Training & Development Program
Our training & development program provides critical social-emotional learning to ensure youth have the life & social skills needed to succeed in any career setting. It begins with 50+ hours of paid culinary training alongside a the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s Restaurant Ready curriculum.
In Path 1, All youth have the opportunity to earn a ServSafe Food Handler’s certification, which opens up a number of hospitality opportunities.
After completing this introductory training course, youth are eligible to participate in regular enrichment activities and trainings. These activities provide positive hours of influence while providing exposure to new environments alongside unique cultural and educational experiences. Our training and development program includes topics such as financial literacy, resume writing and interview skills, first impressions, and more. We also include kitchen tours as well as cultural and community activities such as museum tours and civic events.
Culinary Work Opportunity
Upon completion of our introductory training, interested youth are eligible to work in our culinary social enterprises, which include catering, family meal services and production and sale of various food products. This creates an opportunity to apply the skills learned through our training program. Youth begin as Interns earning $12/hr and are able to advance to up to $20/hr for management roles. Youth who are not interested in hospitality careers are supported in identifying another employment or educational path.
20 months in our program // $3,188 earned in our program
$10,000 est. earnings from employment partner
18 months in our program // $2,571 earned in our program
39 credit hours earned towards becoming a vet tech
Financials & Culinary Enterprise Snapshot
Pathways Kitchen combines earned revenue from catering, events and food product sales with community philanthropic support to deliver its services. Everything we do relies on our generous community, and we are grateful to everyone who donated, supported catering or purchased a Thrive Meal. Your support makes our transformational work possible. Thank you!
