In celebration of the first anniversary of Toronto Helps, Mayor David Miller and Colleen Albiston, Chair of the Board for the YMCA of Greater Toronto, announced the opening of Metro Hall Employment Services, the new Y Café and the expansion of the YMCA Hospitality Training Program.

The YMCA has a long-standing focus of making connections in the community. The new space at Metro Hall allows a successful YMCA program to expand to help even more people in the GTA find employment.

The YMCA Hospitality Training Program has been operating for 25 years, providing participants with core culinary and employment skills. By modernizing an existing commercial kitchen at 55 John Street, the YMCA is able to expand its long standing Hospitality Training Program, which has a solid track record of successfully preparing people for jobs. It also offers a new element through the Y Café.

Participants receive hands-on training in a realistic kitchen environment for 18 weeks under the direction of professional instructors. The Café adds another layer to training by giving participants real life work experience in serving and making delicious, nutritious and affordable meals for people at Metro Hall. After completing the technical aspect of the program, participants move onto employment training and job searching.

On average, the program graduates 70 people a year and close to 80% of graduates successfully go on to find work in the hospitality field. With the support of the Boston Pizza Foundation this unique program will support 30 youth, ages 18-29, over the next three years.

Renovations to the newly expanded kitchen started in December 2009. Through the generous capital support of the Sprott Family Foundation, the YMCA was able to renovate the kitchen and upgrade existing equipment to give the participants the learning environment they would face in a restaurant, catering company or hospital.

The YMCA Hospitality Program also connects with other charities to help feed people in the community. Everyday a Second Harvest truck drops off food which participants must prepare into healthy, wholesome meals. More than 300 meals a day are picked up and delivered to those in need across the GTA.

Fast Facts:

• 30,000 meals a month for YMCA child care centres
• 1,500 meals a week for Second Harvest
• 100 meals a day for Meals on Wheels
• 80% employment rate of graduates
• 80 students per year
• 18 weeks of hands-on training, 24 weeks of employment placement