By Jessica Lawson | Co-Founder
Dear friends,
We're excited to tell you about a new addition to The Mariposa Center for Girls. The "Snack Shack" is a fully operating business, completely run by the Mariposa girls themselves! With the help of a dedicated group of students visiting from Lawrence Academy in Groton Massachusetts, this past spring we constructed a small roadside stand where the girls are selling fresh juices, smoothies, sandwiches and snacks. Many of the ingredients come straight from our on site permaculture garden and outdoor learning space where Mariposas are growing their own food. This exciting project at the Center provides a great opportunity for our girls to gain real world work experience in a safe, learning environment. Volunteers are working side by side with the girls, helping them to develop business skills including inventory managment, basic accounting, customer service, teamwork and leadership.
One Mariposa in particular has taken a very special interest in working at the shack. Vivianna is 13 years old and has discovered her passion for the restaurant business. "I learned how to garden and grow food here at the Center last year. I can now grow the food, make recipes and create the menu and I want to own a restaurant when I graduate - or run the cooking school right here at Mariposa!"
As we grow, our goal is to become more self-sustaining. The Snack Shack brings visitors to the Center, allows our girls the opportunity to earn their own income and provides them with great resume building experience. Because of your generosity we are creating an interactive learning environment and our girls are not just thriving, they are excelling. Amazing things are happening at The Mariposa Center for Girls and we look forward to sending you more updates soon!
With gratitude,
The girls, families, volunteers and staff at The Mariposa DR Foundation
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