Leanne Schneider, director of community relations at Reliant, speaks at the one-year anniversary celebration of Brazen Table.
Image: Josh Olalde
the same day A 2nd Cup celebrated the one-year anniversary of Brazen Table, which provides life and work skills and experiences to survivors of human trafficking, one of the program’s participants scored a job interview.
It couldn’t have been a better anniversary gift. To see a survivor meet a tangible goal, proving her power and value in the world, brought smiles to everyone involved.
A 2nd Cup, the nonprofit and coffee shop dedicated to human trafficking awareness, marked the anniversary of Brazen Table on September 13 with a small gathering with live music, snacks made by program participants, and specialty drinks.
The program launched in 2017 with help from a Reliant Gives $100,000 award. A crowdsourced charitable giving program, Reliant Gives focuses on nonprofits that bring positive impact to their communities. Leanne Schneider, director of community relations at Reliant, was intrigued by A 2nd Cup’s entry in the program
“This is such a unique program, and I had never heard of anything like this,” said Schneider.
For the first year of Brazen Table, six participants age 18-35 received culinary and professional skills training over 22 weeks at a safe location. They learned everything from resume writing to facing confrontation to baking pastries. The hope is the survivors can smoothly transition to the workplace, or at least find opportunities to enter the workplace. And that seems to already be happening.
The program ends in October with a second session in the works. A 2nd Cup continues to seek funding and volunteers for the program, too. For more information, visit A 2nd Cup’s website.
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