California State University East Bay

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California State University East Bay

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California State University East Bay

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Oakland Program Aids Parolee and Impoverished Population

Graduate Tamika Ringo celebrated her achievement
at the recent commencement.

Determined to leave her criminal background behind her, Bay Area resident Tamika Ringo left prison in search of a new future but knew the transition back into society would be difficult.

As soon as she marked the box on employment applications indicating her criminal history, employers quickly overlooked any positive contributions she had to offer.

“I was skeptical of how life outside would be,” said Ringo. “Because of my criminal history, I knew finding employment would be a challenge.”

In a county with a 64.8 percent recidivism rate, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the need for parolee resources is ever growing.

Determined to make a difference in the lives of ex-offenders as well as the low-income population, the Kitchen of Champions Culinary Training program helps to bridge the transition from unemployment to the workforce by preparing individuals for entry-level careers in the food service industry, said Katharine Miller, Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) director of development and communications.

Ringo, a recent graduate of SVdP’s culinary training program, admits without the program the only future she saw for herself was behind bars.

“If I hadn’t been given this opportunity, I’d be back in jail,” said Ringo. “I’d definitely be back in a life of crime.”

Ringo is one of many ex-offenders who have participated in the culinary training program. Forty-eight percent of students admitted to Kitchen of Champions have a correctional history, while 45 percent are recently homeless or unstably housed, according to statistics provided by SVdP.

As more of the state prison population is pushed out to the county level, Miller says it’s apparent to many in Oakland that future success for ex-offenders is very limited.

“When you get out of prison with a felony record and you don’t have a means of supporting yourself unless you can find suitable housing and gain employment you’re going to go back to doing what you were doing pretty darn fast, because you can’t get ahead,” said Miller.

Located in SVdP’s Downtown Oakland Community Center, the program serves one of the Bay Area’s deepest impoverished populations.

In a city with a large parole and re-entry population, Miller says the barriers students face and have overcame are extraordinary.

“When you look at the statistics, the low education, the low job experience and the fact that so many of them have a correctional background, it’s rewarding to see them prevail,” said Miller.

The program, which integrates classroom instruction and hands-on job training, is a 12-week course that equips students with an adequate skill base in food service, menu planning and food preparation.

Students assist in preparing the meals served in SVdP’s Free Dining Room, a program that hands out 1,000 free lunches every day for the homeless and hungry population.

The culinary program recently graduated its 30th class of students where friends and family gathered in celebration to recognize the graduates’ accomplishments and the many obstacles they overcame in the process.

Relating to the struggles several of the graduates faced, Greg McConnell, founder of the McConnell Group and president and CEO of the Oakland Jobs and Housing Coalition, honored the 20 students during the recent commencement who managed to overcome the barriers presented to them.

“We know that Oakland is not for the faint of heart, there is a lot of danger out there in those streets. Everybody in here knows it,” said McConnell. “So how do we improve that? We do that by giving people alternatives to that lifestyle and creating opportunities, creating jobs and creating hope in the community. That’s what this school has done.”

For graduate Lamar Westbrook, the program not only offered him future advancement but inspired him to continue his education.

“Just because I graduated I’m not looking at this as the end, I’m looking at this as the beginning,” said Westbrook.

Graduating a total of 229 students of the 311 enrolled in the program, Kitchen of Champions has provided job placement for 76 percent of the culinary graduates.

The program helped former Gulf War veteran Brian Grappo secure employment with The Food Network where he will be working with world-class chefs.

“They faxed off my resume without me knowing,” said Grappo. “If it wasn’t for the program I’d just be working security somewhere.”

Aside from providing graduates hope for a better future, Miller says the program has aided in the rebuilding of the local economy since the recent economic recession.

“When you look at community development if you want folks to be contributing members of the community they have to be able to move past barriers,” said Miller.

Rather than absorbing public benefits and becoming a drain on the economy, Miller says people don’t realize once the unemployed begin working again, they become productive members of the economy and give back to the nation’s financial system.

On average, taxpayers spend nearly $15,000 to provide social services for a family of three, according to Miller.

“The turn-around is not just productive people, it’s actually an economic benefit to a community,” Miller added.

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Oakland Program Aids Parolee and Impoverished Population