Project Profile
Building Project
Elijah's Promise was established 14 years ago when the meals programs of Christ Episcopal Church, Emmanuel Lutheran Church and St. John's Episcopal Church, all based in New Brunswick, were combined.
The original Soup Kitchen program has developed into a successful culinary arts training program, Promise Jobs; as well as a respected catering business, Promise Catering. As these programs have prospered - Promise Jobs has graduated over 100 students with a 90% placement rate in the local food services industry, and Promise Catering has become an established player in the corporate catering world - the need to expand the current Elijah's Promise facility has become critical.
At present, all programs share the same kitchen facilities. The Soup Kitchen alone served over 90,000 meals in 2004. In between meals, culinary classes and catering activities fill the kitchen. The demand for food assistance and food services training continues to grow, and Elijah's Promise programs are expanding to fill the need. But the current facility is at capacity. Simply put, there are "too many cooks in the kitchen"
CityWorks, together with volunteer participation from Matrix Development Company, will assist in the conversion of an 8000 -square-foot building, located at 411 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, NJ, which was purchased by Elijah's Promise in 2004. The new structure will house offices, a training center, and kitchen facilities to be shared by Promise Jobs and Promise Catering.
Promise Jobs will be able to enroll a larger number of students and offer an evening training cycle to meet the evolving needs of its clients. Promise Catering will also be able to expand and provide more training and employment opportunities.
CityWorks will provide technical assistance in the final planning and construction phases, building on the efforts of Matrix, which has furnished planning expertise and pro bono design support.
The expanded facilities are expected to be ready for occupancy in the summer of 2006.