AT&T Connecticut Donates $5,000 to Community Culinary School Employment Skills Workshops

Release by the Community Culinary School of Northwestern Connecticut

(January 14, 2014) AT&T Connecticut today announced a $5,000 donation to the Employment Skills Workshops of the Community Culinary School of Northwestern Connecticut. The donation will be used to help empower unemployed and underemployed adults by providing them with the job and life skills necessary to qualify for jobs in the food service industry that earn a living wage.

Senator Clark Chapin nominated Community Culinary School for the donation and was on hand to welcome the announcement. “I am very happy to see this generous donation in support of such an important program,” said Senator Chapin. “Unemployment is a persistent problem in our state. Programs that offer new paths to employment, such as those offered by the school, are a positive way to address this issue and directly help individuals gain confidence and become self-sufficient.”

The Community Culinary School offers culinary training and job placement to unemployed and underemployed adults, age 18 and over, who are interested in starting a new career in the food service industry.

The Employment Skills Workshops consist of sessions that focus on the application process, interview skills, mock interviews, dressing for success, and work ethic.

During each 12-week session economically at-risk individuals receive culinary and life skills training that help them to overcome the barriers to employment that they have faced.

Food produced in the classes is distributed to the hungry in the community via the New Milford Food Bank, serving up to 150 households weekly. The program addresses the root causes of hunger in the community.

“This donation will help us further our mission and give more students the tools that they will need to succeed in their new careers,” stated Dawn Hammacott, Executive Director of The Community Culinary School of Northwestern Connecticut. “AT&T Connecticut’s contribution is great news for our students and we certainly appreciate their generosity.”

“AT&T is committed to helping students graduate with the tools and skills necessary to compete and thrive in careers,” stated Kinson Perry, Director External and Legislative Affairs, AT&T Connecticut. “The Community Culinary School of Northwestern Connecticut is precisely the type of organization that we look to support and we’re proud to play a role in its development and success.”