The HOPE Program presents an evening of tastes, toasts, transformations

April 28, 2016 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Author Ron Chernow will be featured at The HOPE Program’s annual fundraiser on May 3. AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano

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The HOPE Program, a Brooklyn-based workforce development organization for disadvantaged New Yorkers, will host its annual A Taste of HOPE fundraiser on Tuesday, May 3, at 6 p.m. at the Prince George Ballroom in Manhattan. The event is expected to attract more than 300 people, including key figures from the New York culinary scene and other luminaries, including Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Ron Chernow, whose biography of Alexander Hamilton was the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton.”

Chernow encourages everyone to join him at the event. “Please join me for A Taste of HOPE on May 3 and help The HOPE Program to achieve new Hamiltonian heights. I can’t think of a better program in New York to support — or a tastier way to do so,” said Chernow.

Chernow will present the prestigious Founders Award to nonprofit leader and social justice advocate Barbara Edwards Delsman, former executive director of HOPE, who served with the organization for 21 years and was instrumental in its growth. Delsman said, “It is amazing to see the tremendous growth of HOPE over the years and how committed the network of student and staff alumni is to giving back to the organization. For me, this is a deeply personal award, one that I am both honored and proud to receive.”

Jennifer Mitchell, executive director of HOPE, explains that the organization “not only [prepares] students for jobs, but also [helps] them keep those positions. In fact, HOPE’s one-year retention rate of 73 percent is among the strongest in the field.

“A Taste of HOPE is such an empowering and encouraging evening filled with success stories from our students, graduates, partners and staff that truly exemplifies HOPE’s impact.”

Corporate sponsors contributing to the evening include Day Pitney, Foros, BNY Mellon, Kirk Palmer Associates, Macquarie and Prosek Partners. The Economist, Neuman’s Kitchen and Breaking Ground are also among key event sponsors. More than 90 percent of the proceeds from the event will be re-invested back into the HOPE program.

Many event participants also employ HOPE graduates after they complete HOPE’s innovative FOODworks program, which launched in 2010 and prepares jobseekers with skills needed for careers in the burgeoning food industry. In addition to Foodworks, HOPE offers training for various industries, including maintenance, retail, office and clerical work.

A Taste of HOPE promises an evening of delectable bites and beverages from more than 25 local bakeries, caterers, restaurants and other food and beverage providers. All of these partners are dedicated to HOPE’s mission of providing hardworking New Yorkers with opportunities to secure meaningful work. This year’s vendor roster includes Brooklyn Brine, Four & Twenty Blackbirds, Magnolia Bakery, Shake Shack, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and TCVWines, among others.

More information about HOPE’s curriculum, opportunities and A Taste of HOPE can be found on its website, Facebook or Twitter.