Walmart Foundation Grant Aids Metropolitan Ministries

 The Walmart Foundation recently awarded four Tampa-based agencies a total of $160,000. Checks were presented to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Help Ministries, Red Cross Tampa Bay and Metropolitan Ministries. Metropolitan Ministries was awarded $60,000 to help improve the Employment Lab at their Florida Avenue facility, just a few minutes northeast of South Tampa.

The Employment Lab works in partnership with Hillsborough County to help individuals improve their job readiness by providing them with training and education on creating resumes, searching for jobs, completing applications and preparing for interviews. Phones, fax machines and computers are available for submitting job applications and someone is always in the room to help.

Additional services include:

Workforce Tampa Bay orientation and connections with all Workforce services

Weekly job club for networking and job leads

Quarterly job fairs on site

Quarterly employment boot camp (a week long intensive employment preparation program)

On-site internship opportunities

On-site culinary arts program

The services provided by the Employment Lab are available to all residents of the Metropolitan Ministries Uplift U program as well as anyone who is homeless and or at risk to become homeless. The Lab reflects the mission of Metropolitan Ministries, which is to care for the homeless or those at risk of becoming homeless through services that alleviate suffering, promote dignity and instill self-fufficiency.

“This program works with homeless people who are seriously looking for jobs.” Karl Celestine, Sr. Coordinator of Outreach Services said. “And we are striving to give them the best opportunity to get that job.”

The Walmart funding will also allow Metropolitan Ministries to hire an employment case manager for the Employment Lab who will work one-on-one with residents who are genuinely trying to find employment. They will also be able to hire an employment manager whose job will be building relationships with employers in the community. One relationship already established is with Hiregy, a professional staffing firm. Hiregy also collects professional clothing and donates it to Metropolitan Ministries for individuals looking for employment with a program called Operation Career Wear.

“We are very, very excited with what’s going to be happening,” Celestine said. “These one-on-one meetings with the employment case managers are going to make a huge difference.”

Metropolitan Ministries is always seeking volunteers to help out in the kitchen, assist in the employment lab or help out with fundraisers and collection drives. Volunteers with special skills like plumbing or tutoring are in high demand. To become a volunteer, interested individuals or groups have to complete an introductory orientation and initial training. Volunteers working in certain areas will need to do a background check. For more information, contact the volunteer department at 813-209-1045.