Project Feast, Case Prospectus 2013

Every year Washington State welcomes 2165 new immigrants and refugees. While many come for work
or to reunite with their families, a large number arrive seeking shelter. They are escaping war,
communal violence, natural disasters and other circumstances that make their natal countries unlivable.
The Seattle metro area is among the largest destinations for refugees from Burma, Bhutan and Iraq in
the United States. Unfortunately, many of our new neighbors feel marginalized as opportunities to
prosper remain out of reach. As a result, an alarming number of new immigrants and refugees from
these countries suffer higher levels of unemployment than their native born counterparts, earn far less
than needed to support their families, and must rely heavily on social services and homeless shelters to
get by.
Project Feasts work proves that these circumstances are not insurmountable. Immigrant and refugee
populations contribute rich cultural traditions and a diversity of skills that make the Seattle area one of
the most vibrant in the world. Project Feast celebrates this diversity by empowering new immigrants to
translate their unique cultural knowledge into sustainable employment in the food industry. Through
hands on vocational training, Project Feast provides the skills immigrants need to work, live, support
their families and become deeply integrated into local communities and economies. Using food as their
medium, Project Feast builds pathways that transform lives and enrich all members of society.
Training that Transforms Lives: The Pre and Core Programs
Since its start in 2012, Project Feasts work has demonstrated the power of food to transform lives. To
date, Project Feast has welcomed 55 participants from Burma and Iraq in its culinary training program.
Participants in the Project Feasts Pre-Program master the basic skills they need to qualify for entry level
work in the food industry, including: Obtaining food handler licenses, comprehensive health and safety
training, basic hygiene practices and baseline knife skills. Upon completion of the Pre-Program,
successful participants graduate to the Core-Program where they continue to hone their culinary skills in
addition to learning the basics of operating a business, financial literacy and communication skills.
By the end of 2013, Project Feast will have trained 20 students from immigrant and refugee
communities with a guaranteed job placement rate of at least 75%.

Despite Project Feasts proven successes, the organizations board of directors, staff and volunteers
recognize that the need is far greater than what we have accomplished so far. With your help, we can
graduate 150 participants in the training program in 2014, enhance curriculums and provide a stipend to
all trainees to ensure their involvement is valued and prioritized by their families.

Philanthropic need: $150,000



Project Feast, Case Prospectus 2013


Sustainability Starts in the Community: The Project Feast Kitchen
Project Feast is a truly sustainable operation. We support our own operating costs through a highly
successful catering business and a recreational, ethnic cooking school. Talented graduates of the Core-
Program are offered paid positions working in Project Feasts food service division. This division also
serves as a training ground for students in the Core-Program, providing them with invaluable real world
experiences.
Project Feast aims to be an organization that all our training participants can take pride in, call their own
and, most importantly, help grow. In order for this dream to become a reality, it is essential that we
establish a Project Feast Kitchen equipped for both training and food service. Not only will this kitchen
increase the number of students we are able to train and employ each year, it will enable us to expand
the scope of our trainee-powered food service operations.
Finally, we envision the Project Feast Kitchen to be the bedrock of our community. It will be a gathering
place for outreach, events and many delicious meals that bring people from all backgrounds together at
our table.
Philanthropic need: $250,000
A Cultural Bridge for Mutual Understanding: Education and Outreach
By promoting mutual understanding, Project Feast is building a more tolerant society. This is a society
that welcomes immigrant and refugee populations and provides them with the tools they need to
thrive. By the end of 2013, we will have reached over 3,000 Seattle area residents - educating them
about immigrant and refugee populations, opening their palates to new cuisines and sharing countless
stories from around the world. We accomplish this by speaking at community events, setting up liaisons
with local leaders and sharing our mission with every single person who comes into contact with Project
Feasts food service division. Our outreach efforts ensure that Project Feast has the greatest possible
impact and can continue to recruit robust cohorts of training program participants.
As part of our educational and outreach efforts, Project Feast is building an improved website,
publishing informational materials and setting up mentoring system between training program
graduates and new recruits.
Philanthropic need: $20,000
Project Feasts work demonstrates the remarkable power of food to nourish more than just the body. At
Project Feast, food brings people to the table, transforms lives, and fosters mutual understandings across
diverse cultures in the most delicious ways possible. Please join us at our table in support of this very
important feast!