Ottawa Mission marks 20 years of its Food Service Training Program
The Ottawa Mission provides more than crucial shelter to those that find themselves without a home; its Food Services Training Program is one of many services offering the ingredients needed to succeed.
On Thursday, 26 students graduated from program. For graduate Raven Spade, it's the start of a new chapter in life.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
"It's very emotional," she tells CTV News Ottawa. "Working in a kitchen is the goal."
Spade moved to Ottawa from Thunder Bay to improve her and her children's lives, learning the skills in the program to move forward.
"I arrived in a shelter and I'm basically starting from scratch," she said.
Students at Chef Ric's learn what it takes to work in a commercial kitchen, and the connections to start a new career.
"It's important because that's just the tip of the iceberg. Now they've succeeded. It's done everything they needed to do to be successful, and they've changed their lives," says Chef Ric Allen-Watson, the Ottawa Mission's Director of Food Services.
Launching in 2004, the Food Services Training Program is marking its 20th anniversary this year. According to the Mission, there have been around 350 graduates since the program began and nearly 90 per cent have found a job in the food service industry.
"One of the things about the program, we've got a lot of contacts and a lot of people willing to help you on the journey," says Nathan Adaka, who also graduated on Thursday.
"When I have this is my hand, it occurs to me I've come really far," he says, as he proudly holds up his certificate.
The program highlights how much the Mission does. It's not just basic shelter; it offers primary care, a dental clinic, hospice, and language and job training.
"And on top of that, we're still serving 3,000 meals a day and having 246 people sleep here every night. So more than a shelter, but still very much needed service," says Ottawa Mission CEO Peter Tilley.
All of it is a recipe for success for graduates like Spade, who says she's also showing her children what's possible.
"I can do it, and I did. I'm so happy and grateful."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More Canadians are moving to the U.S. Here's one of the main reasons, according to an immigration expert
Recent data from the U.S. census revealed that more than 126,000 people moved from Canada to the U.S. in 2022. An expert said that one of the main reasons for this move is the cost of living.
Bus carrying Quebec tourists crashes in Cuba, leaving 1 dead and 26 injured
One person is dead and 26 were injured after a bus carrying Quebec tourists was involved in a collision in Cuba on Sunday.
Her gut was producing alcohol. Doctors didn't believe her
For two years doctors told her she was an alcoholic. Then they realized her gut was making alcohol from carbohydrates, a rare condition called auto-brewery syndrome.
'They need this protection': Trudeau gov't re-offers $1.5M for enhanced Pride security in Canada
For the second year, the federal government is offering up to $1.5M to Pride organizations across the country to fund enhanced security measures, amid a continued rise in anti-LGBTQ2S+ hate.
Here's how far B.C. drivers must keep from cyclists, pedestrians under new law
A new law protecting cyclists and pedestrians in British Columbia takes effect Monday, establishing minimum distances that drivers must keep from so-called vulnerable road users.
Prospective jurors in Hunter Biden's firearms case questioned on gun rights, addiction
A federal gun case against U.S. President Joe Biden’s son Hunter opened Monday with jury selection, following the collapse of a plea deal that would have avoided the spectacle of a trial so close the 2024 election.
AFN national chief blasts governments' inaction on fifth anniversary of MMIWG report
On the fifth anniversary of a national inquiry's report into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is blasting all levels of government for what she calls slow progress to stop the crisis.
B.C. school district apologizes for asking students 'Should Israel exist?'
The Burnaby School District superintendent has issued an apology and launched an investigation after a Grade 6/7 class was presented with a question regarding the existence of Israel.
Toyota apologizes for cheating on vehicle testing and halts production of three models
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda apologized Monday for massive cheating on certification tests for seven vehicle models as the automaker suspended production of three of them.