FOODSERVICE TRAINING & JOB PLACEMENT PROGRAM
Create Common Good (CCG) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose goal is to empower adults with barriers to employment through foodservice skills training and job placement assistance. Barriers to employment can be overcome by gaining confidence through development of valuable job skills. Through our wholesale business-to-business food manufacturing, we generate sustainable, repeatable revenue making us less reliant on grants and donations and allowing us to model the self-sufficiency we teach.
FOODSERVICE TRAINING & JOB PLACEMENT PROGRAM
Create Common Good (CCG) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose goal is to empower adults with barriers to employment through foodservice skills training and job placement assistance. Barriers to employment can be overcome by gaining confidence through development of valuable job skills. Through our wholesale business-to-business food manufacturing, we generate sustainable, repeatable revenue making us less reliant on grants and donations and allowing us to model the self-sufficiency we teach.
FOODSERVICE TRAINING & JOB PLACEMENT PROGRAM
Create Common Good (CCG) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose goal is to empower adults with barriers to employment through foodservice skills training and job placement assistance. Barriers to employment can be overcome by gaining confidence through development of valuable job skills. Through our wholesale business-to-business food manufacturing, we generate sustainable, repeatable revenue making us less reliant on grants and donations and allowing us to model the self-sufficiency we teach.
ABOUT
Create Common Good (CCG) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. We believe that hurdles on the path to employment can be overcome by gaining confidence through development of valuable job skills. As a social enterprise, we empower our program participants to realize their potential in the dynamic learning environment of our wholesale manufacturing kitchen while generating sustainable, repeatable revenue making us less reliant on grants and donations and allowing us to model the self-sufficiency we teach. Our engaging Workforce Development Programs support a diverse population of adults in need of a second chance.
Why
Language Matters
Reframing The Community Perspective
In the past, we characterized the populations we served as “adults with barriers to employment”. In an effort to mitigate the stigma associated with labels, we have consciously decided to discontinue the use of such language. Going forward, the adversities we aim to help our participants overcome will be referred to as “hurdles”.
The word “barrier” implies a halting stop, an impenetrable force that prevents movement. While “hurdle” implies a manageable obstacle or challenge designed to be overcome for the sake of progress. The adoption of this new language reflects the attitude of growth woven into our organization’s values.
We recognize that life has many hurdles. While no one person can simply make these challenges disappear, we aim to arm each of our program participants with the tools they need to make each challenge more manageable and keep on hurdling toward success!
VALUES
At Create Common Good, we strive to incorporate our values in everything we do, in an effort to inspire a common interest for mission driven work for our employees, our trainees, our partners, our donors and our community.
Empowerment
Every challenge is an opportunity.
We believe in the transformative power of empowerment. We aim to reframe setbacks as necessary learning opportunities on the road to success. Through job skills training and personalized mentoring, our programs motivate individuals to gain the confidence and independence they need to achieve their goals.
Engagement
Engage in your future.
Every moment counts.
We promote a culture of engagement, where everyone has a voice and can share their unique skills and talents. Our dynamic classroom environment integrates a variety of learning styles to actively involve our participants, encouraging collaborations and growth.
Potential
Wonder what could be.
We recognize that everyone has unique talents, abilities, and aspirations.
With the right support and opportunities, individuals can unleash their potential, creating a ripple effect of positive change in their lives and communities.
Gratitude
Gratitude for Growth. Progress is progress,
no matter what size.
Gratitude is the cornerstone of our organization. We express our heartfelt gratitude to our program participants, who show resilience, determination, and a willingness to grow. We are deeply appreciative of the support we receive from our donors, volunteers, and community partners, who expand our capacity to perform our mission and enable us to build a better community together.
HISTORY
As a result of the 2008 financial crisis, local entrepreneur, Tara Russell established “Common Ground,” a job and language skills training program serving refugees in Boise, Idaho. ”Simply put, we launched CCG to help people in need land on their feet, discover their potential and enrich their communities."
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Over the years, the "Common Ground" job training programs included janitorial services, sewing, agriculture and cooking. In 2010, we rebranded as Create Common Good, positioning ourselves for growth in Boise and beyond.
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Through a generous donation of land from Idaho Power and Eastwind Community Church, a farm training and employment site was established in Southeast Boise. The donated land was used as a 3-acre farm and provided an additional training tool for our trainees and helped us to narrow our focus to food and agriculture based training and employment.
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In 2015, it became apparent that training in agricultural jobs often led to seasonal employment that did not accomplish our ultimate goal of helping others achieve self-sufficiency, and the tough decision to close the farm was made. Sharpening our focus to foodservice skills preparing individuals for work in a commercial kitchen has allowed to us prepare our trainees for true independence and self-sufficiency. Expanding our focus beyond refugees to anyone experiencing a barrier to employment as well as implementing our wholesale food manufacturing social enterprise has allowed to to serve our local community in an even more impactful way.
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Our goal has been to build an empowerment model that could be used in any community. We are a passionate, business-minded organization with a dynamic, talented and rapidly growing team and we are looking forward to all that the future of Create Common Good holds in Boise and beyond.
