Program Helps Food Bank Clients Rejoin Workforce

Program Helps Food Bank Clients Rejoin Workforce

Thursday, December 03, 2009 at 12:29

A program at the Saskatoon Food Bank that helps people get back on their feet has a near perfect record.

The LEAP program, or Learn, Explore, Achieve, Plan, is a 14-week program that helps people deal with self-esteem issues, and then prepares them to rejoin the workforce.

Food bank CEO Paul Merriman says upon completing the training, clients are given a work placement at the food bank.

That is followed up with a placement with one of the food bank’s partners, such as Canadian Tire, Dakota Dunes Casino or Safeway.

Merriman says a job coach even works with clients for up to a year, to ensure they are successful with their new jobs.

“If they get a job and three weeks later they’re back in the food bank line, then we’ve completely failed that person. We do have some people who have graduated our program… and then are now employed with the Saskatoon Food Bank. And again, we will employ them for a while, and try to get them to move out into society, and to be able to help out their families, their situations, and to be able to have a career,” he says.

Merriman says about 95 per cent of the clients who complete the program also maintain their jobs.