Spokane's Christ Kitchen Employs 30 Women Exiting Extreme Poverty

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A recent article in The Spokesman-Review highlights an innovative Spokane faithventure Christ Kitchen that employs women overcoming poverty, domestic violence, addiction, and homelessness.

The story notes how the organization's founder one day realized the importance of jobs to accomplishing their ministry's goals:

When Jan Martinez founded the Spokane nonprofit Christ Kitchen 15 years ago, she relied on individual or company donations to keep the operation going. Its original goal was to serve as a social and spiritual hub for women in poverty.
Before long, however, Martinez, the 57-year-old executive director of Christ Kitchen, realized that helping women find jobs needed to be the organization’s first goal.
“Those women would all have said they were essentially unhirable at that point,” said Martinez, noting that the nonprofit, at 2410 N. Monroe St., works with women who have endured domestic violence, chronic poverty, homelessness or addiction.
Over the next several years, Christ Kitchen created three businesses: packaging and selling soup and dessert mixes; preparing catered boxed lunches for area companies or groups; and operating a restaurant. Those endeavors now provide jobs and regular income for more than 30 Spokane women.
The Spokesman-Review, March 14, 2012.
Read the whole article here.

And be sure to visit the online store here where you can purchase gourmet soup and baking mixes, cookies, gift baskets and more. Christ Kitchen also caters meals, provides box lunches, and has its own restaurant located at 2410 N. Monroe in Spokane. For more information, visit their web site at www.christkitchen.org or call 509-325-4343.

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