FareStart: Using Food to Rebuild Lives Molly Riegel

What FareStart is all about  Vision: to rebuild lives, reconnect families, and strengthen communities. Ultimately, FareStart’s vision is to end homelessness.  Mission: to provide “a community that transforms lives by empowering homeless and disadvantaged men, women, and families to achieve self-sufficiency  FareStart strives to achieve its mission by upholding the following values: acceptance, respect, openness, collaboration, and sustainability.

History  FareStart was founded in 1988 by chef and entrepreneur David Lee who saw a dire need to address the homelessness issue evident in Seattle.  Lee established the for-profit business Common Meals and worked out of church kitchens in the basement of the facilities to make social change happen.  In 1992, the organization was renamed FareStart and became a 502(c)(3) nonprofit.

Basic Statistics and Leadership Information  FareStart has a governing board of directors with 7 members and an ED.  The budget of the organization for the end of 2010 was $6,335,664.  FareStart has a total number of 165 employees as dictated in their form.  A total of 927 clients were served collectively through the Adult Training Program and BTEP. A total of 494,515 meals were prepared for disadvantaged individuals through the Contract Meals Program, which served 25 child care centers and 14 homeless shelters 365 days a year.

Programs and Services  FareStart has several programs and services locally and nationally:  Adult Training Program: a 16-week program that prepares students for employment in the food industry and to become self-sufficient. The program provides culinary arts training and life skills curriculum in order to prepare disadvantaged individuals to acclimate back into the community. In 2010: 690 clients were provided with referrals to other organizations and intake services, 195 clients were enrolled in the training program, 102 graduated, and 99 of these students found employment successfully.  Barista Training and Education Program (BTEP): FareStart partnered with YouthCare to implement this program. Students graduating the 8-week BTEP program gain customer service skills, job training, internships, resume and interview skills, and life skills. In 2010: 42 youth enrolled, 23 youth found employment, and 22 youth completed high school or achieved their GED afterwards.  Guest Chef Night: Once a week, a professional chef from a local restaurant volunteers their time to provide hands on training to students in the adult training program.  Contract Meals: students in the adult training program develop and refine their culinary skills through preparing meals for child care centers and homeless shelters. In 2010, 270,745 meals were given to homeless men and women.  Food Recovery Program: FareStart turns surplus food donated by businesses such as United Grocers into meals for shelters within 24 hours.  Catering: FareStart also trains their students through their catering services.

The Nonprofit Lifecycle  FareStart seems to be in stage IV of the nonprofit life stages. This is because the organization is 19 years old, is self-sustaining and has a strong foundation in its location in downtown Seattle. As a mature organization, FareStart has been maintaining its momentum in numerous ways: it just moved to a much larger location, internal changes have been made including the promotion of a new CEO, and the organization has launched the national program called Catalyst Kitchens. FareStart’s new national program will help the organization develop external relationships with other businesses around the United States and ultimately increase its capacity to help more clients. FareStart has made such a powerful impact on numerous communities that it was also honored with the 2011 Humanitarian Award by the James Beard Foundation.

Financial Management  Amy Michael is the CFO of FareStart. Michael not only oversees the finances of the organization, but also heads human resources and the IT function.  Michael explained in an interview that FareStart is a self-sustaining social enterprise with $7 million top line revenue.  About 10% of this $7 million comes from federal grants and the other 90% is half fundraising and the remaining half is from business revenue.  I asked Michael how she juggles her dual roles within the organization, and what practices assist her in handling FareStart’s financial issues.  Michael responded saying it is tough and rewarding work. She often works closely with the CEO Megan Karch, who is very adept at financial analysis. During the financial meetings with Karch, Michael will present her with financial reports on a monthly basis, along with other financial information as needed, and Karch will get very involved analyzing the numbers while Michael is responsible for providing an explanation for the financial statistics.  Michael also has a full financial department who handle the day to day activities; handling transaction records, donations, fundraising amounts and more. She describes herself as a resource to approve the financial processes undertaken by her department. Michael also handles the monthly evaluations of FareStart’s finances, before handing the evaluations to the board and CEO.