Portland non-profit receives $10,000 grant

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - Stone Soup, a local non-profit in Northwest Portland, is helping people learn a new skill and getting recognized for their work.

Stone Soup is one of ten recipients to receive a $10,000 grant from the Jacques Pépin Foundation. A foundation that believes that culinary skills training leads to increased self-confidence, better health, and employment and career opportunities.

Stone Soup, once a restaurant in 2019, is now a food service and 12-week culinary training program for people at risk of houselessness. Funds will go to expanding the program and say they a pay $2,500 stipend to program participants over the course.

“Our people are coming from incarceration; they’re coming from the transitional housing system,” Aaron Babbie, Interim Executive Director said. “We have graduates coming through here on a weekly basis, either utilizing the computers to brush up a résumé apply for a job.”

They learn everything from knife skills, catering, learning spices and how to use protein.

Graduates have gone on to work in hotels, restaurants and even in social services. Since the food service opened, more than 100 people have completed the program.

“It’s not something that everyone gets to because the folks that we are supported through this program, have a lot of challenges in their life. Life is happening to them while they’re in the program.”

Currently there are six people enrolled but with the grant, they plan to grow that number to ten within the next six months.

“Every day in this place you see struggle, but every day you see accomplishment, you see joy, you see people really same opportunity for themselves and gaining confidence,” says Babbie.

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