BAY POINT, Ca. – The Radiant Life Center Assembly of God reaches out to the San Francisco bay area communities in yet another way. The RLC, already operating a vocational training school opens a bakery beside the school.
Bread of Life Deli Bakery opens early every morning. The baker arrives at 2:30 a.m. letting the aroma of fresh baked goods fill the night air. By 5:30 a.m. Diane Ruark, the Assistant manager, opens the shop and displays the fresh doughnuts, muffins, and pastries at the window.
This bakery was built to support the vocational training school in collaboration with many of the partnering local bakeries and the San Francisco Culinary Institute. The school offers vocational skills to youth interested in the culinary arts.
The program, developed by Pastor Cynthia E. Smith since three years expands its pilot program, increasing from twenty students this year to up to 120 pupils next fall. The program which lasts for one year, seeks a diverse demographic among its students.
In the program, the students spend the first two quarters in the classroom, and the last two in hands on involvement in bakeries. The students, normally between 18-29 years of age, receive spiritual counseling and guidance from the six-full time members who work between the store and the classroom.
"The needs of the inner cities are changing," Smith says. "We have to provide for spiritual and physical needs if we are to rebuild lives and families."
By Pauline J.
pjang@chtoday.com
