Thirty students from the Beaverton School District’s Community Transition Program got a special treat at their local Safeway store just before Thanksgiving as they took took part in a check presentation ceremony and toured the Safeway store.
“We love big checks,” shared Dawn Hehman, manager of CTP. “This funding will allow us to continue offering 3-4 cooking classes a day. Student practice skills from reading recipes, shopping for groceries, purchasing food, and meal preparation.”
About 120 students with disabilities ages 18-21 attend CTP where they receive classroom instruction, life skills and job training support, all geared toward supporting independence.
“When we heard that the CTP students didn’t have the funds for their cooking classes, we reached out to the community,” said Lauren Garrett, BEF Executive Director. “We raised $5,000 from donors, plus this $5,000 contribution from corporate partners.”
Corporate support came from the Frito Lay/Quaker Feeding a Brighter Future Initiative in partnership with the Safeway Foundation.
After the check presentation, the students toured the Safeway store in Tanasbourne to learn more about shopping for groceries and got snacks to take back to their classmates.
So far, funds have been used by CTP to purchase adaptive kitchen utensils to help students with disabilities more easily practice meal preparation skills.
