FREEDOM A LA CART
Who We Are: Freedom a la Cart is a non-profit café + bakery + catering social enterprise that works to empower survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation to build lives of freedom and self-sufficiency. We believe that giving an individual practical job skills and helping them to develop a strong work ethic is vital for creating a pathway to freedom. So, we’ve created a safe place of restoration where survivors can heal, learn and grow as they prepare for sustainable employment and reintegrate into our community.
What We Do: Freedom a la Cart understands that moving survivors out of vulnerability and poverty and into stability and economic self-sufficiency requires more than a job. So, Freedom developed a comprehensive life skills training AND workforce development program that includes: resource (case) management; job coaching; social connection; trauma counseling; and financial literacy. Our goal is to prepare survivors for personal and economic stability, train them for jobs and link them directly with employers. Through four areas of impact: 1) CATCH Court Support; 2) Workforce Development; 3) our Butterfly Program; and 4) our Housing Program, we serve over 400 survivors annually.
Why We’re Important: Approximately 29,100 people in Ohio are victims of trafficking every year, having lived in a cycle of sex trafficking since the average age of 13. Many live with significant trauma, may lack basic education and face numerous other barriers. Survivors emerge from trafficking into a society that turns them away.
They face legal issues such as a history of evictions, suspension of driving privileges and criminal convictions. Many are mothers who have lost custody of their children. Our vision is to give each survivor that crosses our path a chance to build a new life of freedom and self-sufficiency. How We Impact the Community:Freedom a la Cart served 656 unduplicated trafficking survivors in 2022 through supportive services, workforce development + outreach. In the past 7 years, 99 survivors have received workforce development through our program, of which 74% have received NO new criminal charge. As the national recidivism rate for women engaged in prostitution sits at 80%, Freedom a la Cart flips the narrative of a survivor’s life creating generational impact. Additionally, our Butterfly Program has nearly doubled in the past 2 years. Survivors are gaining invaluable skills, reimagining their futures, and reaching a hand to lift up their sisters, mothers, and friends.
How You Can Help: We’d love for you to join us in walking alongside survivors on the road to recovery! There are multiple ways to get involved at Freedom a la Cart, from volunteering in the kitchen, becoming a mentor, ordering from our café and/or catering menu, donating towards our programs, ordering Cause Cookies during our holiday fundraiser, and more! For more information, please visit freedomalacart.org.
Freedom a la Cart
123 E Spring St. Columbus, OH 43215
614-992-3252
Donate: freedomalacart.org/donate-now
Executive Director: Paula Haines
Engagement Manager: Katie Kettlehake
Email: info@freedomalacart.org
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