Press Release
The Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) Bakery Council is pleased to announce the selection of Greyston as its recipient of the Council's 2020 contributions to charity as a part of the FPSA Holiday Season of Giving Back. The funds will support PathMaking efforts at Greyston Bakery, which are integral in helping the bakers succeed on the job and in life.
Greyston's PathMaking Programs are essential in empowering individuals in the workplace, helping them to overcome obstacles to retaining employment and improve their lives and the lives of their families. Through job-readiness and life skills training, and employment services, Greyston empowers individuals to pursue a path toward success and offers opportunities for professional advancement. Greyston Bakery’s Employment PathMaker works with staff members to identify professional and personal challenges and create practical plans to improve work/life balance, family functioning, and ability to achieve success.
Greyston provides PathMaking services to both its bakers and members of the local community, serving approximately 5,400 individuals who hail from all racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds; ranging in age from 16 to 65. Its nonprofit efforts focus on workforce development and community wellness and are fueled partially by the bakery, where it practices Open Hiring – anyone seeking a job is hired with no questions asked.
Chairman of the FPSA Bakery Council, Tony Graves (Dennis Group), states, “We are proud to support an organization like Greyston and its Bakery that serves its community in helping individuals obtain employment, no questions asked. Considering the challenges that our economy now faces, we at the Bakery Council wanted to support an organization like Greyston fighting unemployment and investing in human capital. We look forward to continuing to support their work and would encourage others to consider their non-profit when making their holiday donations and check out Greyston Bakery's holiday basket items when considering their holiday gifts.”
Greyston President and CEO Joe Kenner says, “We are grateful for FPSA’s support of our PathMaking programs, which help individuals and their families find paths forward and futures filled with possibilities. These funds will help us grow our efforts in Southwest Yonkers, where we create nearly $12 million in positive economic impact each year. This partnership will fuel our work to build a thriving community and a more inclusive economy, one person, and one job at a time.
Background information on the Food Processing Suppliers Association
The Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) is a global trade association serving suppliers in the food and beverage industries. The Association's programs and services support members' success by aiding in marketing their products and services, overall improvement in key business practices, and many opportunities to network among industry colleagues. Programs and services to achieve these objectives include PROCESS EXPO (industry-leading trade show), electronic media marketing, education, market intelligence, research, and advocation of critical industry issues such as food safety, sanitary design of equipment, and global trade. FPSA members are organized in vertical industry councils that focus on specific needs and concerns unique to each industry sector. FPSA councils currently represent the Bakery, Beverage, Dairy, Pet Food, Prepared Foods, and Meat sectors.
Background Information on Greyston
Greyston is a nonprofit social justice enterprise working to create job opportunities and provide services that enable self-sufficiency through the Open Hiring® business model. It provides paths to employment, and no-cost workforce development and community wellness programs to anyone in need to meet our combined social, environmental, and financial goals. In serving the people of Southwest Yonkers, New York, Greyston promotes inclusion, offers support to disenfranchised people, battles against systemic inequities, and advocates for a level playing field for all, regardless of their pasts.
For 38 years, Greyston has opened its doors to those who ordinarily face rejection, providing individuals and communities struggling to prosper an opportunity to thrive. Today, it’s working to scale its mission by sharing its experience at Greyston Bakery with business leaders and guiding them in adopting the Open Hiring model in their organizations.
Background Information on Greyston Bakery
Greyston Bakery is a world-class commercial operation, producing 8 million pounds of award-winning brownies annually for customers such as Ben & Jerry’s, Whole Foods Market, and other retail chains. Located in Southwest Yonkers, New York, it’s staffed by individuals who likely would have been screened out by traditional hiring practices; bakers come to Greyston, no questions asked, via the practice of Open Hiring – without interviews, background checks, or resumes. Founded by the late Zen Master Bernie Glassman in 1982, the bakery is a lasting, successful business created to invest in human potential and build stronger communities, one job at a time.
