CULINARY TRAINING PROGRAM FEEDS A PASSION From the moment Patricia Melo first walked into Basta Restaurant in Cranston’s Pawtuxet Village, she knew she had been given an opportunity and she was determined to hold on to it. The environment was exciting, and a little intimidating for someone just starting out. Wait staff dressed in black [...]

KATIRIA PEREZ FINDS SUCCESS AT GENESIS CENTER AFTER YEARS OF STRUGGLE TO FIND WORK Providence, RI — After weighing the pros and cons, Katiria Perez and her husband, Francisco Javier Perez Criado, decided that she would stay home after their second son was born. Like many young couples with growing families, the financial impact of [...]

SUCCESS STORY: MIGUEL ESCOBEDO FINDS A TASTE FOR COOKING April 24, 2018, Providence, RI — Preparing rice and beans, tapas, pasta, and his beloved garlic-flavored mashed plantains, known as mofongo, is a matter of pride for Miguel Escobedo. “This food is full of memories for me,” he said. “This is real Dominican food.” Escobedo feels [...]

ENRIQUETA MOLINA FINDS HER PASSION THROUGH SNAP E&T PROGRAM AT GENESIS CENTER Thirty-one years ago in 1986, Enriqueta Molina was living in her native El Salvador as the country erupted into civil war. Two of her siblings had already fled to the United States, and as her situation in El Salvador became more dangerous, she [...]

BELYNDA FORTUNE FINDS FUTURE SUCCESS THROUGH SNAP EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING PROGRAM Belynda Fortune, a small woman in her mid-forties, with curly hair and a rapid-fire way of speaking, becomes strikingly serious when asked why she is working on completing her high school education. “It’s my time now,” she says, her eyes focusing. “Raising my son [...]

Adry is on the left and her classmate Natalie Eche is on the right A GENESIS CENTER SNAP E&T SUCCESS STORY My name is Adry Mijares, and I was born in Caracas, Venezuela. When I graduated from high school, I enrolled at Venezuela Central University where I obtained Bachelor Degrees in Biology and Education. I [...]