To further develop the future of individuals experiencing homelessness, The Crossing will launch additional opportunities for training and workforce development in 2021.

The first of which will be a commercial kitchen designed to prepare guests for jobs in the restaurant industry, provide cooking classes for clients of the Nutrition Center and support local entrepreneurs by allowing the rental of the kitchen for those needing a commercial space for food prep. In 2019, Lifeline Foods generously donated a commercial kitchen and we cannot wait to use it to change lives.

A geothermal greenhouse will be the second development effort for 2021. The greenhouse will provide specific training in agricultural techniques. In addition, the greenhouse will supply fresh food to the Nutrition Center and if enough volume is produced, it could even be sold through Farmer’s Markets as a way to generate income providing further support.

The third plan for 2021, is to repurpose the basement space of The Crossing main office building. The basement once housed a fur vault and after assessing the space, it was discovered it would be the perfect environment for mushroom farming. Mushroom farming will continue the agriculture training provided through the greenhouse and mushrooms will be sold to local restaurants, grocers.