A young man showed up at Micah shortly after his mom passed away. As a senior in high school, he had been her primary caregiver, but when she died he was left without a place to live and no other support system. On the street, he quickly picked up life skills from others who had been homeless longer, but that also led him into trouble at times. For a few years, he managed to hold a job and an apartment with another homeless man. But the unresolved grief from his mother’s death kept sneaking up on him and his lack of coping skills often left him struggling to maintain employment and pay bills. He landed back on the street this year, but the churches had set up a new opportunity through Micah where he could learn to work in a restaurant. He became part of the inaugural class at the new Community Cafe. He attended weekly empowerment classes, practiced his culinary skills and earned a Servesafe certificate and a job reference. Under the supervision of the cafe manager, He sharpened his skills, but he also gained a friend and mentor who pushed him to be better and helped him believe in himself. He now works full-time at a local restaurant and is looking for an apartment. After graduation, he continued to volunteer in the cafe because it became his community. It remains a safe place that he belongs, people believe in him, he gets to contribute and have meaningful relationships, which he says make him fell whole for the first time in a very long while.
It cost $600 to put this young man through the café training program. You can help more people benefit from this program by designating your gift as a “café scholarship.”