Opportunity
Problem
Society has limited resources for the less fortunate or homeless youth population. Eugene has seen a surge in homeless teenagers fleeing their home. They will stay for a few months, and then they’ll travel down to California for the winter. These are young adults that don’t understand how to become part of society. They can’t provide for themselves and eventually they have children and the cycle continues.
Solution
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We offer assistance with career planning and education for at-risk young people in Lane County. This experience should be valuable to our clients. We do this through a series of curricula funded by the Lane Workforce Partnership, Oregon Youth Conservation Corps, Oregon Department of Human Resources, and the local school districts.
Our most recent program is a culinary art program. It teaches students how to prepare food safely and properly and allows them to then make lunches for other students at the Chambers School. After completing the 9-week curriculum, students are placed with a local food service business for a 60-hour practical training where they can continue to develop their skills. The culinary arts program is currently available to five students each 9-week school term or 25 students per annum. Students enrolled in the program are selected because of their sincere interest in the culinary field and their excellent attendance.
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Market
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Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce states that “[a]t heart of Eugene economy is the homegrown small- and medium-sized businesses. Eugene’s businesses employ less than 20 people. Eugene’s small business community, which includes financial services firms and specialty retail shops, as well as management consultancies and ethnic grocery stores, is active, vibrant, thriving, and well-supported. There are over 10,000 businesses within Eugene, including sole proprietorships or limited partnerships. This new growth has brought new businesses to Eugene/Springfield and expanded opportunities for caterers who can meet these needs.
Catering For Kids predicts that Eugene/Springfield businesses are experiencing unmet demand for catering services for lunch meetings and other events. And unlike other restaurant and food-related businesses, business to business catering is not as cyclical as business to consumer catering. Businesses continue to have lunch meetings and employees who wish to purchase their lunches year round. A limited amount of market research was done to gain insight into market size, demand, and market trends. A survey was sent out to 144 Lane County non-profit organizations. It asked for their current and future needs in catering services as well as their interest in supporting a nonprofit catering company. These are just a few of the many responses we received.
“I think this idea is great and could be an asset to the community. Springfield/Eugene Habitat for Humanity is not known for hosting many lunchtime meetings. However, there are about 13 to 14 Habitat Executive Directors that meet about every three month. Susan Brown, Volunteer Coordinator, Eugene/Springfield Habitat for Humanity
If we have an event that needs catering, we’ll call your program first. We use nonprofit organizations first when we need services.
“Our needs for catering are not very large, maybe a few times a year. I am available to talk about the program. However, you may contact me to discuss the program.
“: We have General Membership meetings that require 50 to 100 persons. I’m not involved with arranging the meetings but do know that our organization is in need of a place to meet where food and beer can be served. You might hear from Dave. I think the first meeting is in October.
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Competiton
There are many other caterers that offer boxed lunches as well. However, none of these businesses specialize in serving the nonprofit sector, nor are they themselves a nonprofit that benefits the local community. Catering For Kids will be able to build strong relationships with its nonprofit clients.
Catering For Kids is the best caterer in Lane County. We believe this unique position combined with high-quality, competitively priced meals will make it the top choice for Lane County nonprofits.
Why Us
Catering For Kids is dedicated in providing opportunities for at-risk young people to gain valuable work experience. We are committed to offering healthy, homemade meals and outstanding service at affordable rates to our customers. Employees of Catering For Kids will be students who are enrolled in the culinary arts program at the Chambers School and Career Center and are interested in gaining work experience in the restaurant and food services industry. These students will gain valuable experience that will aid them in transitioning from school to work. They will also be able develop entrepreneurial skills that they can use in their future jobs.
Expectations
Forecast
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Below is a benchmark chart that shows our key financial indicators over the past three years. We anticipate a steady but slow increase in the demand for our services, and an increase in operating costs. Catering For Kids’ first year will only serve its internal markets. Then, in year 2, we will begin to expand our reach to the external marketplace.
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Financial Highlights by Year
Financing is Required
One of our revenue lines is grant funding, $15,000 annually. And we need and anticipate donations of $2,000 per month, plus some revenue from fees for lunches and event catering.
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