Tulsa Nonprofit Pairs Justice-Impacted Women With Jobs Through Culinary Training Program
Carabelle's Legacy says its Belle's Kitchen program, which teaches cooking, leadership and financial skills, has placed every participant in a job as it works to reduce repeat offenses.
By Zanele Khumalo ·
A Tulsa nonprofit says it has a perfect record when it comes to finding work for women who have been affected by the justice system.
Carabelle's Legacy, founded in 2022, runs a program called Belle's Kitchen. It is designed for women who have had run-ins with the legal system. Participants learn cooking, leadership and social skills, along with financial literacy, and are matched with a job once they complete the program. The overall aim is to lower recidivism.
Oklahoma has seen some progress on that front. Recent figures show the state's recidivism rate fell from 21 percent to 18 percent between 2009 and 2019. Carabelle's Legacy hopes to help push the number down further.
Founder Maria Morris knows firsthand what it is like to start over with few places to turn after contact with the legal system. She said that experience is why she makes sure members have their next steps arranged and why they are welcome to return to her after they finish the program.
Apprentices gain practical experience through the organization's catering company, Carabelles Eats and Treats. "They're here, they're preparing community food, any catering orders that we get with supervised instruction," Morris said.
The organization recently moved into a new kitchen, where it also operates a micro-cafe. The space is where Ronna Stone, a new member of Belle's Kitchen, is getting additional training meant to make her more marketable for her next job. She will learn to prepare coffee-based drinks, teas and other items.
Stone said the program has given her a second chance. She described being a human trafficking victim from age 12 to 19, saying she was forced into drug addiction and a criminal world. "I didn't know any other way of life," she said.
She said she now sees her own progress as evidence that others can turn their lives around as well. "I believe people change because I've changed," Stone said. "I've changed a lot, and I've grown."
Women interested in joining Belle's Kitchen can apply through an online form provided by the organization.
Originally published by News Media House · Source: KJRH 2 News
