This week we are excited to highlight one of our wonderful nonprofit partners in Seattle, FareStart. We are huge fans of their work in the community, which accomplishes two goals that we love: helping people get jobs and feeding people. We took a few minutes to chat with Chloe Knox, FareStart’s Food Recovery Coordinator, about their work and how you can get involved as well.

IF: Tell us about FareStart. What do you do?

CK: FareStart has been helping people transform their lives through food for over 25 years – one person, one job, and one community at a time.

People in poverty struggle to escape the cycle they are in and often face other compounding barriers in getting and keeping a job. At FareStart, we help people overcome those barriers by teaching them the work and life skills they need to succeed in the foodservice industry and in life.

Through our restaurants, cafes, catering, and programs that provide meals to social services, shelters, and schools in the Seattle area, participants in our programs get practical work experience while giving back to their community.

By investing in people and building community, we transform homelessness, hunger, and poverty into hope.

IF: What is your mission statement?

CK: FareStart provides a community that transforms lives by empowering adults and young people experiencing poverty and homelessness to achieve self-sufficiency through life skills, job training, and employment in the food service industry.

IF: How has Imperfect impacted your program?

CK: Imperfect and FareStart began working together in late 2017. Since then, Imperfect has donated almost 2,000 pounds of fresh produce to the Food Recovery program. Imperfect has also helped increase our volunteer outreach through Imperfect staff members and customers. Most recently, Imperfect sponsored the annual pie-making party for Thanksgiving shelter meals. They donated 225 pounds of apples and recruited a group of 15 volunteers to make 75 apple pies!

IF: How can our community get involved?

CK: Supporters can get involved with FareStart directly by donating funds, dining at any of our eateries, volunteering, or following our social media platforms. Go to www.farestart.org to get started.