“Refill Cafe and The Jackson Refill Initiative”
Jeff Good and Jordan Butler spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club's June 24, 2019, meeting about the Jackson Refill Cafe and the Refill Jackson Initiative. Mr. Good is the sponsor and impetus behind the Refill Cafe. Ms. Butler is the organization's V.P. Ed/Training. Ms. Butler described the Refill Jackson Initiative as a "holistic approach to workforce training." The organization's mission is "to empower young adults 18-24 so that they are more confident, better equipped and motivated to enter into, navigate, and stay in the workforce. Refill Cafe is based on Cafe Reconcile, a successful workforce training model developed in New Orleans several years ago and in other cities throughout the United States.
Refill Cafe is primarily funded by a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, but it is accepting donations from other sources. According to its website, "Refill Cafe will be a vibrant restaurant establishment that will be open to the general public for weekday lunch. Refill Café will also provide on the job training opportunities for all Refill Jackson Initiative’s participants.
“Together, Refill Café and the Refill Jackson Initiative will strive to:
- Serve delicious, healthy food in an intentionally designed space;
- Revitalize a community gathering place that welcomes everyone;
- Train and provide avenues of opportunity to our young neighbors and fellow residents of Jackson”
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Refill Cafe plans to open in September 2019 in the Space on the Jackson State Parkway formerly occupied by the Koinonia Coffee House. The building is in the process of being totally remodeled with a new kitchen, refurbished dining space and a covered deck.
We thank Ms. Butler and the management team for their work in Jackson and for their commitment to their mission. The following photo shows the architect's vision of what their new facility will look like:
The Jackson Refill Initiative management team is shown in the following photograph with Club President Anna Powers. Shown from the left are as follow Jeff Good, Marshall Wade , Emily Stanfield, Amber Parker, Sharna Shields, Anna Powers, Jordan Butler, Betsy Smith.
