20 ~- North Shore Mews - Sunday, November 21, 1299 Food services pre Katharine Hanter News Reporter katharine@usnews.com THE Food and Service Resource Group training program — a fixture at North Vancouver’s Lucas Centre for nearly 10 years — is shutting up shop. The tease ag: North Vancouver ing the program without a permanent base. Wid fanding: from both the federal and provincial govern: ment ¢ Group trains the unem- and complain ofa tack of t funding. it seems pocr fis meat to turn awa such a valuable source of income,’ * she More room is ne cation services, as recommended in a Di passed by the board in November 1998. Kerry Young and her partners in the Food and Service Resource Group, James Kennedy and Laurie Mark. took over the lease in May 1990. They are currently the only non-school district program operating from the Lucas Centre. They were given six months’ notice by the when their lease was terminated — bur Young. s: was given for the termination. “We have ended the lease because we need to take back the space,” said Turin. Employment Insurance and Income Assistance recipients who qualify pay no fee for the Foud and Service Resource Group program, which Young said has had an average employ- ment success rate amongst participants of 75%. Nine hundred students have passed through the program over the years, rang- ing in age from 19 to 55, and with varied work histories Some have no food-handling experience; others have worked in the industry before and just want to brush up on their skills, said Young Wendy"! toughton, a chef at the Maplewood Pub, has hired a number of graduates from the program following work expe- rience placements. It’s the only hos; itality retraining program for adults on the North Shore that she’s aware of, and she said it’s “very effec- tive. “It allows people with ambition to get a taste of what this business is all about,” she said. “They don’t have to go to school for wo years. This way they ger a chance to try it out and see if chool board no reason - Sunday, Nevember 28, 1999 - 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | Days evenis include: 10:00am-4:00pm Craft Fair 00am-11:00am: Pancake Breakfast 9:30am-17:00am Stick & Puck (maximum 24 people - - . pre register at aifice) ny 00am- 42: 45pm Hockey Skills Fun Competition (Pre register at office $5/person) :45am-2: 00pm Family Skate & Games (pubiic skate admission} ‘4 ‘0pm 00pm Family Stick & Puck “+ . (maximum 24 people - pre register at office) —— &24- - 0 8283 aAit Mount Seymour Parkway tat serxoiey) - North } Vancouver NEWS photo Mike Wakefield KERRY Young, project manager of the Food and Service Resource Group training program, stands in the now. vacant kitchen ef the program's Lucas Centre facility. The program is now homeless after its Lucas lease was not renewed. it’s do-able.” The Food and Service Group is now “hanging onio a thread of office space (at the Lucas Centre} and has all its pots, pans, and equipment in a storage container,” Young said. “The kitchen and dining room that_were once a bechive of activity now sit empty with uncertain fucure use.” My vente . "Y a , Set The fast intake of the program is scheduled to complete its. : work placements on Nov. 26, The next batch of students, due, to start Dec. 6, will not be able to do so unless the Food. and. Service Resource Group can find a new home in time. . “Because of the way our government funding works,”. Young : said, “we have to stay in North Vancouver.” S