[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 28, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CONGRATULATING DC CENTRAL KITCHEN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 28, 2015

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate DC Central 
Kitchen on the graduation of its 100th Culinary Job Training program. 
This is a remarkable milestone and I am truly inspired by the ``Class 
of 100.''
  Since its inception 26 years ago, DC Central Kitchen has provided a 
path for nearly 1,500 people to rejoin their community, reunite with 
their families, contribute to our economy, and break the 
intergenerational cycle of hunger, homelessness, prison, and poverty. 
DC Central Kitchen doesn't just feed people who are hungry; it gives 
them the skills to feed themselves and their families, building lives 
of self-sufficiency.
  The 14-week Culinary Job Training program prepares unemployed, 
underemployed, previously incarcerated persons, and homeless adults for 
careers in the food service industry. Upon completion of a month-long 
internship, the students are provided with job readiness skills and job 
placement assistance.
  Graduates of the Culinary Job Training program have a 90% job 
placement rate, are 90% less likely to return to prison than other ex-
offenders nationwide, and contribute upwards of $225,000 in payroll 
taxes back into the community each year.
  But these impressive statistics are just one part of the Culinary Job 
Training program's success story. The program gives so much more to its 
students. It gives them the support they need to discover their own 
confidence and rebuild their lives.
  In just the few weeks since graduation, more than half of the class 
has secured jobs, with the remaining graduates in the final stages of 
completing interviews and accepting jobs. That is extraordinary.
  Mr. Speaker, I could not be prouder of the Class of 100. I wish them 
all the best in their culinary careers and in life. I can't wait to try 
their food at local restaurants.
  And I offer my most heartfelt congratulations to founder Robert 
Egger, CEO Michael Curtin, and the wonderful staff and volunteers at DC 
Central Kitchen. You are an incredible example of what real leadership 
and innovative thinking looks like to end poverty in this country. 
Here's to another 100 classes of inspiring graduates.

                          ____________________