Q: What other ways do we engage the CPS community?
A: How much time do you have? (laughs)
We have a culinary scholarship program and each year provide $50,000 to 10 high school students interested in culinary and hospitality careers. The program has awarded nearly 70 scholarships so far.
Students work with and get mentored by professional kitchen staff to gain valuable skills in our culinary internship program. Aramark chefs host culinary workshops and provide instruction and demonstrations. This March, we had our first e-culinary session with about 37 students participating.
There’s also a CPS Chefs’ Council. We identify and partner with chefs all across Chicago who own restaurants, are part of a nonprofit culinary community, and/or have students in the CPS system. They teach classes and develop recipes for our school menus. One created a special dish served throughout the CPS system for Black History Month and one chef—a James Beard award winner—also taught a class at her son's school.
On the facilities side, we’re developing a scholarship program for high school students interested in trade careers like carpentry, construction, and electrical. Our facilities team members have gone to over 12 different schools in the past few years and renovated playgrounds, painted buildings inside and out, planted gardens and updated landscaping. About 25-30 volunteers from Aramark and the school community give time on a Saturday to help that school. It’s usually in the summer, so students see a refreshed environment. We even did one mini-makeover this August.
Aramark chefs and dietitians conduct nutrition education classes and healthy cooking demos for community events. Our farm-to-school program helps students make the connection between what’s on their plate and how it got there. Once a month a farmer visits to talk to students about life on a farm and agricultural careers, and makes the connection to nutrition. About 150 students each month attend.
Aramark has donated several gardens to CPS, as well as supplies for those gardens. And annually around the holidays we donate winter clothing. Last year we donated more than 3,000 hats, coats, and gloves to children.
We also partner with many external organizations whose members mentor students, teach them life skills and talk about career paths and their futures after graduation.
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