A co-worker just told me about a restaurant he dined in during a trip to Charlotte this week. It is a Christian-owned, non-profit restaurant, operated by a local ministry. Basically, the gist of it is that they hire homeless and other typically unemployable people, train them to cook, prep, host, and/or wait tables. He said the food was EXCELLENT and the service was even better. He said that he had meat loaf with 3 sides, and it came to under $10, and that the restaurant was very nice and spacious, with nice decor and table settings. The folks who were with him had fried chicken with sides. He said that their chicken looked so good and juicy, he almost changed his mind about his meatloaf until he tasted it.
I love the idea. This is what ministry is all about. Let's do it, people! Let's GIVE more and take less.
When my daughter was younger, any time someone asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would say "a homeless helper." As she got older, she decided she wanted to operate a homeless shelter and had several ideas for different programs that would assist the homeless.
We're definitely going to have to visit this place.
http://kingskitchen.org/mission/