Recovery Kitchen and hope.

Recovery is a long, hard road. For those who live it everyday, it can feel never ending, with more closed doors than open ones. We hear everyday about those who don't make it, but we seldom hear about the ones that do, and how or what helps them be successful. Most programs offer a clean living environment but little help with any other needed aspects of getting back to a normal life, thus leading to a high failure rate. Our idea is more focused on helping the person in recovery not just reach their goals of living a clean sober life, but also helping them to thrive in life. We want to offer a clean, sober living environment but also training in a career field that pays them while they learn. Job placement and other needed skills such as resume writing, money budgeting and more are to be offered. Learning to live your life addiction-free is more than just beating the addiction - it's learning to live again as a whole.

 

Pictured above is Casey. He is 3 1/2 years clean and sober and is not only a part of this project, he's the inspiration. He is proof it can work. When I first met Casey, he was new in his sobriety and had pending federal charges. He went to 35 different interviews and heard 35 "no"s. I tell people I will never forget the day we met: he walked in the restaurant, cold and wet as it was freezing rain out, and he had walked a mile to make the interview. I greeted him and we sat down to do the interview in which he told me his life story and all about the charges he had pending, He then told me he understood if I didn't want to complete the interview. I said "No, let's continue. You're being honest with me and that says a lot." I felt this young man just needed a chance, so I offered him the job. He came in every day and put in the work and is now the General Manager of two of my restaurants. I asked Casey this year when we celebrated his 3 years of being clean and sober, what did he think contributed to his success? He said it was me giving him a chance and teaching him a career that he could love and grow in. He went from walking to work to getting a bike, then a scooter, and now his first new truck ever. He got all these things by doing the work and from a simple act of trust: me seeing the man he wanted to be and not the man he used to be.

 

Most people in recovery are viewed more for what they have done in the past and less for what they are trying to do in their sobriety. None of us should ever be judged by our past alone and second chances should be welcomed. Our program is all about that second chance at life. Casey has always said "give me something to do and give me something to learn." And that's our motto.

 

The basics of the program:

• A safe place to live that has accountability to stay clean and sober

• Paid training in a needed career field to help offer income and job placement

• Help with learning money management, and other life needs

• Counselling and support to maintain a sober lifestyle

 

The money we are asking for is to help cover the initial cost of housing and supplies as I will personally cover the cost of training, and wages while they train.

 

We have three people in recovery working for us, learning something new everyday and they are truly thriving. So please, join us, give if you can and share with your friends. Most of us have known someone in recovery and even worse, lost someone. If we can help change those stats to a higher success rate then we can truly strive to do more. I will start by donating $25,000 of my own money to this program and hope you will join us, even if it's just $10