Toni’s Kitchen Partners With National Council for Jewish Women to Help Guests With Employment Assistance

Toni's Kitchen is partnering with the National Council for Jewish Women (NCJW) to give assistance to guests of Toni's who are looking for help with improving their employment situation. The Center for Women (C4W) at the NCJW offers guests a wide range of services, including RISE (Reaching Into Self Empowerment), a series of interactive workshops designed for women in transition who seek new ways to build confidence and overcome obstacles by rediscovering their inner strength and power, resume and cover letter preparation assistance, practicing interviewing skills, job search guidance, and financial support for job training/certification programs.

Nancy Xenakis, a staff member of Toni's Kitchen who manages the partnership, says NCJW offers comprehensive help. "They've got different types of empowerment programs for women who are just entering the workforce for the first time or are returning to the workforce. Each participant gets a C4W case manager who helps them with whatever they need."

The partnership began in April of 2023, and in just the first 12 months, Nancy referred more than 30 women to the C4W. Most have responded with rave reviews, citing the expanded opportunities they discovered – from help with their resumes, to gas cards allowing them to get to an interview, to exposure to training and certifications for careers well beyond their current work. The partnership has evolved to include a quarterly onsite informational table during Choice Pantry to engage eligible and interested guests, raise awareness of C4W's programming and share educational materials. This step has increased the referral volume by helping guests learn more about C4W's offerings, expectations and outcomes and becoming more comfortable.

Nancy says that C4W can really help guests get a leg up in the job market. "For example, we have had some women who were doing home care work, but they're not certified home health aides. NCJW gives them exposure to certification programs that can help them sharpen their skills and train with a home care agency where they can get potentially be hired."

At Toni's Kitchen, we know that when people are food insecure, they may also have other needs. This partnership with NCJW is just another of the many partnerships that Toni's Kitchen has to help our guests with those other needs and lead more independent lives.