Help Reentry Rocks (501c3) Feed Those in Need

Hello, friends old and new!

My name is Annie Whitford and I have been a volunteer administrator and grant writer for the 501c3 Reentry Rocks  for the past 5 years. I am asking you to please consider donating to this GoFundme on behalf of executive director Sharon Richardson in order to help her sustain her nonprofit internship program that is working with Just Soul Catering to feed those in need in the time of COVID-19. All donations go directly to Reentry Rocks and are therefore fully tax deductible. See a message from Sharon below and thank you for your time & support:

Thank you for supporting our entrepreneurship/culinary internship program while we feed those in need in the time of Covid-19. I started this program 1 year ago as the hallmark of my 501c3 reentry organization Reentry Rocks and since then we have  graduated 3 classes of formerly incarcerated women with the skills and connections necessary to find culinary work or jumpstart their own projects. Our 4th class was cut short due to COVID-19 social distancing mandates and so we have shifted from running in-person classes to providing stipends for our formerly incarcerated participants to give back to our communities. 

WHAT WE ARE DOING WITH THESE GENEROUS DONATIONS:

1. Purchasing food in bulk while wearing protective gear and maintaining safe social distance.
2. Partnering with social enterprise Just Soul Catering to cook family style meals.
3. Paying the participants of our entrepreneurship/culinary internship program to shop, deliver and serve safe, free meals  frontline workers (and families) and survivors of domestic violence.

EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS!! Every $100 raised will feed up to 15 people for 1 meal (includes the meal prep, supplies, staffing, and logistics for delivery).

WHAT'S NEXT?

We truly appreciate all of your love and support throughout this trying time and we look forward to sharing our progress with you along the way! As soon as we are able to safely congregate again we will be hosting a larger (in-person) fundraising event with a focus on moving out of our rented office space and purchasing our very own office so we can expand our offerings and impact. We are truly honored to have you along for the journey with us! Please share this page with your communities and together we will keep our program alive. Please also be sure to follow along on instagram at @justsoulcatering and @reentryrocks  for photos of our meals and drop-offs!

OUR STORY:

Sharon spent 20 years in prison for a crime directly related to her history as a survivor of intimate partner violence. When she reentered society in 2010, she was intent on helping other women who suffered from similar complex trauma related to both intimate partner violence and incarceration.

Sharon spent six years as the first reentry specialist at the anti-intimate partner violence organization, STEPS to End Family Violence and in 2016, she received a grant that allowed her to start her own nonprofit Reentry Rocks . Over the years, Sharon has learned that without support and guidance, women can fall back into relationships with people who are abusive, have difficulty becoming independent, suffer as they reintegrate into their families and the community, and even face re-arrest and incarceration. Alongside her work as a reentry specialist, Sharon is also a successful entrepreneur and founder of the social enterprise catering company Just Soul Catering. In the past year, she has created a hiring pipeline for graduates of Reentry Rocks to apply to work part or full time for Just Soul Catering.

Here is how it works:

While a client is participating in a Reentry Rocks counseling program, she is also invited to participate in the Entrepreneurship/Culinary Internship Program. Interns in this program receive training in all stages of planning and executing catering events, including menu planning, shopping, food preparation and cooking, event set up, and serving. Throughout the program, interns have the opportunity to work events and after completing the program, participants are qualified to become part-time or full-time employees at Just Soul Catering. Together, Reentry Rocks and Just Soul Catering work to help formerly incarcerated women increase their self-esteem and reconnect with their inherent wisdom and talents.