Together We Bake, the local nonprofit dedicated to providing comprehensive workforce training and personal development for women in need, just reopened its kitchen just in time for Mother’s Day.
“We figured that we could resume operations in our kitchen and maintain six feet of distance,” Together We Bake Co-Director Elizabeth Bennett-Parker told ALXnow. “The deadline for Mother’s Day orders is this Sunday.”
Two program graduates are now working in the kitchen at the Old Town Community Church, and the nonprofit still has nine employees working at their full salaries with benefits.
Bennett-Parker, who is also the vice mayor of Alexandria, said that the Together We Bake training program has been canceled until the fall, and that the nonprofit is still in touch with the nine applicants who were accepted. Their annual Empowerment Breakfast next month has also been cancelled.
“We are attempting to figure out how we can continue training while also maintaining social distancing and following the governor’s orders, but we are still in touch currently with the graduates of our program,” she said.
Nearly 200 women have graduated and received ServSafe food handler certifications through the program, and the nonprofit was able to award certifications to its winter class on March 12 before shutting down for more than a month due to the coronavirus pandemic. Each graduate is paired with a job counselor who works one-on-one with them on resume writing, interview skills, and how to search and applying for jobs.
Revenue from the nonprofit is derived from grants, donations and product sales, and Together We Bake also just raised $56,918 from 204 donors in the Spring2ACTion fundraiser on April 15.
Bennett-Parker now anticipates that in-store sales of products like cookies, granola, trail mix and apple chips will be affected, since retailers like Whole Foods on Duke Street, The Old Town Shop and Stomping Ground are being challenged by the pandemic.
Our kitchen is open! We resumed production today and will begin shipping orders on Monday, May 4th. #MothersDay is…
Posted by Together We Bake on Monday, April 27, 2020
Photo via TWB/Facebook
Recent Stories
A new interactive map published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows how rising sea levels will impact Virginia cities, Newsweek reported. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on…
Alexandria resident David Marshall, 57, has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges for allegedly assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6 riot in 2021. Marshall was arrested on May…
Good Monday morning, Alexandria! ⛈️ Today’s weather: Showers and thunderstorms are possible after 2 p.m., with fog expected before 11 a.m. Cloudy skies will accompany a high temperature around 81°F…
Francis Deonte Rose was found guilty today of two counts of aggravated murder in the 2022 shooting deaths of two construction workers in the West End. The Commonwealth Attorney’s Office…
Good news, D.C. area. You can save money on your next home cleaning with Well-Paid Maids. It’s easy!
We offer a discount when you set up recurring cleans — and the discounts just increased this week!
For weekly cleans, get $30 off each cleaning.
Potomac Harmony is Back! Following a gap year of competing, then virtual rehearsals during the pandemic, followed by the well-earned retirement of our long-term director, a year of a director search, Potomac Harmony hit the regional contest stage in Concord, North Carolina in March for the first time since 2018! It was exhilarating, reaffirming, and rewarding!
The chorus hit all of its goals, the biggest of which was to have fun and sing our best on contest stage — we did both! Because we earned a score over 400 points, our new Director, Allison Lynskey, was awarded the Novice Director award, photo above. Additionally, one of our charter members, Jackie Bottash, was nominated for and honored with the Leadership Excellence award. It was a celebratory weekend!
What’s next? So much! We now look forward to upcoming performances, growing our membership, and expanding our musical product with new arrangements and an education component each week. It’s an exciting time to be part of this ever-growing ensemble!
Alexandria NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, DPC to hold City Council…
The Alexandria Branch of the NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, and The Departmental Progressive Club to hold the City Council Candidate Forum for ALL Candidates in the City of Alexandria Virginia. The event is Free of Charge and Open to The
