New Bakery Opens Staffed by Formerly Homeless Individuals with Disabilities
Sat. October 25, 2008 12:00 AM
Chicago Mayor joins local and state officials at ribbon cutting ceremony
Chicago, IL -
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley cut the ribbon officially opening, Sweet Miss Giving's, anew bakery that will provide job training, employment, and support for formerly homeless persons with disabilities.
"All of us here today have one important thing in common – we are committed to helping Chicagoans without a home find a home and have the same opportunity as every other resident to benefit from the many opportunities Chicago offers," The Mayor said at the opening of Sweet Miss Giving's Bakery, 1229 N. North Branch Ave.
Sweet Miss Giving's Bakery is a not-for-profit organization that will train and employ 20 persons to prepare, sell, and deliver pastries, wholesale baked goods, and gift baskets for business meetings, catered events, and other group occasions.
The gourmet catering bakery is a project of Chicago House, a social service agency established to provide housing for persons with HIV and AIDS. The majority of Sweet Miss Giving's profits will go back to the non-profit organization Chicago House – led by the Rev. Stan Sloan – which has provided housing, employment, and support services for more than two decades. But the bakery also doubles as a jobs program – the majority of Sweet Miss Giving's employees are formerly homeless paid interns, who are re-entering the job market and gaining skills as bakers, packers, and delivery assistants.
"If you want people to live with dignity, you have to treat them with dignity. Our new factory has top-of-the-line equipment; and our recipes are the best in the city," says founder Rev. Stan Sloan. "We have tried to create an environment where our interns get the training and experience they need, and also where they can be proud to come to work everyday. Moreover, dessert lovers and meeting planners alike get do good, with the promise of getting delicious, gourmet freshly baked goods. So go ahead and indulge, and make the world a better place."
Chicago House raised more than $600,000 from private investors to get the business off the ground. The City contributed $97,000 to the project from Small Business Improvement Funds, which help commercial and industrial business owners pay for improving their buildings.
"We need to develop more new programs tailored to help individuals and families with special needs. And we need to think creatively about new funding sources. The opening of the bakery can serve as a model for others to follow," Daley added.
Beginning on November 1st 2008, customers can order online with the option for delivery anywhere in the US. For more information, visit www.sweetmissgivings.com or phone 773.444.9557.
"All of us here today have one important thing in common – we are committed to helping Chicagoans without a home find a home and have the same opportunity as every other resident to benefit from the many opportunities Chicago offers," The Mayor said at the opening of Sweet Miss Giving's Bakery, 1229 N. North Branch Ave.
Sweet Miss Giving's Bakery is a not-for-profit organization that will train and employ 20 persons to prepare, sell, and deliver pastries, wholesale baked goods, and gift baskets for business meetings, catered events, and other group occasions.
The gourmet catering bakery is a project of Chicago House, a social service agency established to provide housing for persons with HIV and AIDS. The majority of Sweet Miss Giving's profits will go back to the non-profit organization Chicago House – led by the Rev. Stan Sloan – which has provided housing, employment, and support services for more than two decades. But the bakery also doubles as a jobs program – the majority of Sweet Miss Giving's employees are formerly homeless paid interns, who are re-entering the job market and gaining skills as bakers, packers, and delivery assistants.
"If you want people to live with dignity, you have to treat them with dignity. Our new factory has top-of-the-line equipment; and our recipes are the best in the city," says founder Rev. Stan Sloan. "We have tried to create an environment where our interns get the training and experience they need, and also where they can be proud to come to work everyday. Moreover, dessert lovers and meeting planners alike get do good, with the promise of getting delicious, gourmet freshly baked goods. So go ahead and indulge, and make the world a better place."
Chicago House raised more than $600,000 from private investors to get the business off the ground. The City contributed $97,000 to the project from Small Business Improvement Funds, which help commercial and industrial business owners pay for improving their buildings.
"We need to develop more new programs tailored to help individuals and families with special needs. And we need to think creatively about new funding sources. The opening of the bakery can serve as a model for others to follow," Daley added.
Beginning on November 1st 2008, customers can order online with the option for delivery anywhere in the US. For more information, visit www.sweetmissgivings.com or phone 773.444.9557.