Local nonprofit helps food service employees on path to better financial future

Monday is National Food Service Employee Day, in honor of workers who often go unrecognized despite the tough workloads and lower wages.

The food service industry is one of the largest industries in the U.S. and the recognition is more meaningful than in years past – with many frontline workers making sacrifices to help restaurants survive the pandemic.

Dallas nonprofit Interfaith Family Services, which works to break the cycle of poverty for DFW families – says many of the clients they serve work in low-wage food service jobs.

“A lot of times what we're doing is we are working with families who are dealing with some sort of financial hardship. We work with them and we figure out how we can increase wages within the household,” said Sylvia Arenas, family services director for Interfaith Family Services. “We explore those opportunities with families trying to figure out where their five year plans are, what their goals would be when it comes to careers and trying to walk with them on that journey.”

Arenas said extra hours have dropped since the pandemic ended or the current hours they are working are not making ends meet. Other struggles include increasing housing costs coupled with stagnant pay, which has forced families into hardship.

“And if you throw in something like a sickness or a child that has to be home from school, that can be extremely impactful,” said Arenas.

Right now, they're working with more workers on career coaching and free training, helping them to either find a better job, better pay or even new careers to meet their goals.

They helped one single mother go from her fast food job $13 per hour to making more money in healthcare as a certified nursing assistant through the program.

“That allowed her to not only cover her expenses but to be able to put some money aside for those unexpected costs,” said Arenas. "And Interfaith was also able to match the first $150 that she was able to put into savings. So that small investment that Interfaith was able to give changed her employment outlook.”

According to Interfaith, 97% of families in their program exit with employment and an average wage of $17.59/hour 89% of 2021 participants remained employed one year later and 99% exited with a long-term career plan.

Outside of career coaching and skills training, Interfaith provides housing for families – most of whom are single mothers – who are homeless. The organization also provides rent assistance to help others remain in their homes as well as counseling, childcare, and even cooking classes.

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