Aramark Joins Nevada Partners To Enhance Workforce Readiness And Health In North Las Vegas

Nevada Partners, a job training and preparation organization, will form a new relationship with Aramark to strategically enhance workforce readiness and health and wellness programs for youth, adults and families in the North Las Vegas area.

To kick off the relationship, Aramark volunteers will convert an overflow parking area at the Nevada Partners community center for additional educational and recreational programs. The additions include completing an urban garden on a vacant desert parcel, which will provide Nevada Partners' Positive Youth Impact program participants with new opportunities to learn work readiness and business skills while growing fresh, healthy food. This partnership is part of Aramark Building Community (ABC), the company's signature philanthropic and volunteer program, which enriches the lives of families by strengthening local community centers.

"We're excited about this new Aramark partnership. With this much-needed urban garden, our youth will not only learn to grow fresh fruit and vegetables, but will also learn about food science and nutrition, horticulture, marketing, and green techniques. The garden will be part of our job training incubator," said Monica Ford, president and executive director for Nevada Partners in a prepared statement.

Nevada Partners, one of the state's largest job training and career preparation organizations and serves thousands of people each year, providing employment and training services in an area where the percentage of individuals living below the poverty level is 18.1 percent, and unemployment is over 15 percent.

"Aramark recognizes the important role that community centers like Nevada Partners play in helping families and individuals live healthy, productive lives," said Leslie de Vries, Aramark regional vice president for sports and entertainment. "Our unique culinary expertise along with the passion and skills of Aramark volunteers will help provide practical and easy-to-implement health and wellness awareness, culinary education and workforce readiness support for this community."

The young people will benefit from an integrated curriculum that connects urban agriculture with education and entrepreneurship, Ford said. Aramark culinary, nutrition and human resource experts will collaborate to develop and deliver innovative work readiness, career exploration and health and wellness educational programs on an ongoing basis.

Participants will have an opportunity to work with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension horticulture program to develop and maintain the garden. They will then be able to sell the produce, provide it to those in need, or use it themselves, in conjunction with the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas Future Culinary Leader programs.

Through Aramark Building Community, the company develops long-term partnerships to strengthen community centers and the important role they play in strengthening communities and families. The company provides a range of resources including grants, volunteers and in-kind contributions to help improve facilities, prepare youth and adults for careers and connect them to the workforce, and encourage healthy lifestyles through health and wellness education and awareness. By the end of 2011 Aramark Building Community will be in more than 50 cities impacting more than 2.5 million individuals and families in the US and abroad. Visit Aramark Building Community on Facebook