Fresh Start - Building Furniture, Rebuilding Lives

It has been a busy mid-summer and Fall at Fresh Start.

In this report we want to share with friends, customers and donors our recent work on behalf of those we support in our production carpentry shop and the outcomes of our new effort to scale up our training initiative; Fresh Start Academy.

We are pleased to report that we have been working steadily in the production of furniture in all three areas of sales and production (core products, custom and contract work.) see pictures in the report. 

Fresh Start was fortunate to receive a contract for over thirty items from Grace Lutheran Church on Woodland Street in the Asylum Hill neighborhood of Hartford. Pastor Rick Kremer has been involved in a year long project to update their historic church, from solar energy to mechanicals as well as outdoor furniture to provide seating for the many guests who use the church in their community ministry.  

Soul de Cuba Cafe partnered with Fresh Start to update their interior seating with custom benches for their restaurant one block from the Yale campus.

In addition, we were chosen by a design group to provide new furniture and other amenities for the lobby in a midcentury condominium at The Woodland in Hartford. 

Fresh Start Academy graduated six who have returned to the community after incarceration. Instruction is provided by by Colin Green of our staff. Five of the six now have employment. The next class starts on December 1. Our goal is to provide training for 24 additional individuals in 2022.

We have also added a permanent new employee/trainee from Youth Challenge. 

It is important to remember that these outcomes could not be achieved without our dedicated core of volunteers, customers, and donors. As a Social Business Fresh Starts depends on these heroes. We applaud them.