MAKE Projects Opens Permanent Cafe, Aiming to Train 40 Immigrant Women a Year
Updated
Updated · The San Diego Union-Tribune · Jul 6
MAKE Projects Opens Permanent Cafe, Aiming to Train 40 Immigrant Women a Year
1 articles · Updated · The San Diego Union-Tribune · Jul 6
Summary
Normal Heights gained a permanent MAKE Cafe in late June, giving nonprofit MAKE Projects its first long-term cafe and headquarters after five years of pop-ups and temporary sites.
The 12-week paid program is built to move immigrant and refugee women from farm work to kitchen roles to front-of-house service, combining job training with daily English practice.
Around 40 women a year are expected to join, with three new participants onboarded each month and customized job-readiness support aimed at placing them in permanent work afterward.
Founded in 2017, MAKE Projects sources much of the cafe’s farm-to-table menu from its San Diego State University urban farm and is targeting 600 refugee and immigrant women employed in San Diego County by 2030.