Inspiration Kitchen & Cornerstone Community Outreach

On Friday, our entire group came together again to finish our week of service.  Our first stop was Inspiration Kitchen in Uptown.  We had an amazing lunch and toured the Inspiration Corporation offices, where they assist more than 3,000 individuals and families affected by homelessness and poverty each year.  Inspiration Corporation provides food service training, employment services, housing services, case management, counseling, and restaurant-style meals to homeless or poor men, women, and families in a therapeutic community that promotes dignity and respect.  To learn more about Inspiration Kitchens, visit http://www.inspirationkitchens.org.

While on the tour, students learned about the Inspiration Cafe, where volunteers serve meals and provide resources through a food pantry to participants in Inspiration Corporation's programs.  The participants are all working on stability by increasing income and/or becoming permanently and stably housed.

After our time at Inspiration, the students headed to Cornerstone Community Outreach, which has sheltered over 25,000 individuals since 1989.  Through their programs at Hannah House, Leland House, and Sylvia Center, CCO is able to shelter families with children, keeping them together as they work to achieve stable housing.  In addition, CCO feeds 100-150 people at their Dinner Guest Program, distributes 200 bags of food weekly, and meets the needs of residents who lack clothing and household items through their Free Store.   For more information about CCO, visit http://www.ccolife.org.

At the Free Store, students worked sorting donations to be included on the racks for "shoppers" who come through looking for clothes for job interviews, special occasions, and to stay warm in winter.