Following a dinner celebrating 25 customers who had been placed in permanent employment through the Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program, operated by KRA Corporation for the Baltimore City Department of Social Services, there were many trays of food left uneaten.
Ernestine Chambers, Case Management Supervisor, reported, “Less than 5 minutes from our office, hundreds of displaced people live ‘under the bridge’, an unfortunate designation well known to local residents. So, after dinner, six KRA staff and youth volunteers took the untouched food and beverages down there to prepare meals for the homeless.
By the time we started serving, more than 30 people had lined up for a meal, with the men chivalrously letting women and children eat first. Even though our contribution was ‘impromptu’, it still served as a hands-on example of true community involvement for our ‘Hire One Youth’ summer student-workers.”
Ke’Sye Champ, youth volunteer, stated, “A lot of people expressed gratitude for our kindness; it was an amazing experience. I hear about companies helping like this, but never see it. One day, I hope to work for KRA permanently because they really do care. Some of us students are already discussing a planned homeless outreach event!”