Meet the Newest Certified Soup Kitchen Food Handlers from Life’s WORC - 05/27/2026

Life’s WORC is a nonprofit organization that supports thousands of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism. Their Employment Training Program (ETP) allows them to volunteer in the community to gain job skills and social interaction. The organization has been sending a group of 15 adult volunteers to the soup kitchen twice a week for over two years. After mastering many of the volunteer activities, they wanted to increase their level of responsibility. Five members of the group, including Kyron and Aiden, completed the class to allow them to safely handle food for hundreds of guests during the daily food service. They have learned how to safely use gloves and aprons, make sandwiches and salads, sanitize prior to the meal, and label, store, and clean up the food afterwards. The group is among 15 volunteers in the soup kitchen who have all received their Food Safety Certificates from the state.

The group is thrilled to work in the kitchen as food handlers. Kyron said, “I feel awesome that I improved my skills.” Aidan said, “I feel happy to know that what I do in the kitchen helps people.”

The leader of the Life’s WORC volunteers, Anne-Marie Jones is so grateful for the opportunity that The INN has given their “People Supported,” as they are called in their organization. She says everyone in the soup kitchen has been so encouraging and kind to the group, giving them invaluable skills and self-confidence. “So often, our People Supported are told that they can’t do things. At The INN, they are told that they can.”