CONTRIBUTED BY OCS
OPELIKA —
Forty high schools — one of which is Opelika High School — from 24 states will receive $5,000 grants from the Rachael Ray Foundation to build up their National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation ProStart culinary arts and restaurant management programs. Since creating these awards, the Rachael Ray Foundation has provided 113 high school grants, totaling $950,000.
The grants from the Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grant Program will help educators build the tools to teach their students career-building skills using the ProStart curriculum. The schools can use their Grow Grant funds to make classroom upgrades or purchase new equipment and resources. The NRAEF said it expects that the grants will benefit more than 3,500 students and 53 educators in the 2023-2024 school year.
“The daily investment that ProStart educators make in their classroom as they teach and mentor the next generation of culinary and restaurant management leaders is extraordinary,” Ray said. “We are optimistic that these grants will give teachers some fresh opportunities to capture the imagination of their students and teach them why our industry is a place where they can build a career.”
This is the fourth round of ProStart Grow Grants awarded by the Rachael Ray Foundation. Past grant recipients have used their funds to purchase needed supplies and new curriculum components, upgrade their class kitchens and provide students with hands-on educational experiences.
“Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grants make a huge difference to so many of our ProStart classrooms — funding equipment, supplies and unique experiences to teach students the fundamentals of culinary arts and restaurant management,” said Rob Gifford, president of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. “We are grateful for the partnership of the Rachael Ray Foundation in helping ProStart educators provide the best classroom possible for each of their students.”
Nearly 165,000 high school students at 1,850 schools are currently part of ProStart, which features hands-on and traditional instruction providing students real-life food service experience and skills. The ProStart curriculum combines culinary arts and business education with special industry speakers, class mentors, tours of local culinary facilities and student competitions to help students learn fundamental skills in the restaurant and hospitality industry. ProStart students emerge with training and certifications to join the restaurant and food service workforce.
According to Chef Judy Eldred, culinary instructor at Opelika High School, the grant funds will be used for projects that connect the OHS culinary program to the community.
“An important aspect of food service is hospitality,” Eldred said. “We plan to use these funds for projects that will help develop the interpersonal skills of our students and guide them to be entrepreneurs.”
ABOUT THE NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION (NRAEF):
As the supporting philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the NRAEF’s charitable mission includes enhancing the industry’s training and education, career development and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to attract, empower and advance today’s and tomorrow’s restaurant and food service workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart — a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready/HOPES — partnering with community-based organizations to provide people with skills training and job opportunities; Military — helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and food service careers; scholarships — financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, food service and hospitality degrees; and the Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center (RHLC) — accredited apprenticeship programs designed to build the careers of service professionals. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org.
ABOUT THE RACHAEL RAY FOUNDATION:
The Rachael Ray Foundation (RRF) is a private foundation that is fully funded by the proceeds from the sale of Rachael Ray Nutrish. RRF was launched by Ray in 2016 to better support the causes she cares for most such as helping animals in need. Additionally, RRF works with organizations that support the mission of Yum-o!, Rachael’s 501(c)(3), in order to bolster and amplify its efforts through additional funding. Yum-o! empowers children and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. It also teaches families to cook, feeds hungry children and funds cooking education, among other initiatives.
