Farming hope builds communities where are all needed.
Farming Hope offers transitional culinary employment to formerly incarcerated and unhoused people. These paid Apprenticeships are designed to support folks re-entering the workforce, by ensuring that they have all the skills needed to secure employment after completing our 12-week curriculum. At the center of this program is our Community Meals program, which feeds 1,500 food insecure neighbors every week.
As the disproportionately severe effect of Covid 19 on marginalized communities lingers, Farming Hope’s services are needed more than ever. To meet that increasing need, we hired more Apprentices, served 60,000 nutritious meals, and rescued 10,000 pounds of fresh produce that would otherwise become food waste. We also found a home for this important work at our new location, Refettorio San Francisco.
We opened this community food hub in partnership with renowned chef Massimo Battura’s nonprofit organization, Food for Soul. Refettorio SF is part of Food for Soul’s international network of cultural sites that feed unhoused neighbors nutritious, beautiful meals. The name Refettorio comes from the Latin word reficere, meaning ‘to re-make,’ but also ‘to restore.’ In monasteries the Refettorio was the place where monks gathered to share their meals and socialize, nourishing both body and soul.
The project of Refettorio SF is to restore individual financial security through training and employment, while rebuilding a healthier public food system supplemented by community gardening and food waste reduction. Paired with the expertise and enthusiasm of our extensive guest chef network, we provide a plant-forward dining experience that feeds communities while demonstrating that a more sustainable, empowering food system is possible.