About Giving Tuesday Campaign: Seeds of Resilience 🌱
Support Culinary Training for Refugee Women
This Giving Tuesday, join us in planting the Seeds of Resilience through Mozaic’s Refugee Kitchen Program, an empowerment vocational training for refugee women. With every meal prepared and every skill learned, we’re nurturing stability, self-sufficiency, and a brighter future.
Mozaic Refugee Kitchen: A Legacy of Empowerment
Since its inception in 2016, Mozaic’s Refugee Kitchen has trained 32 chefs from diverse refugee backgrounds. This program has led to impressive achievements:
9 catering businesses, 2 food trucks, and 1 restaurant now thriving independently.
19 chefs continue under Mozaic’s kitchen umbrella, serving as mentors and community pillars.
Our chefs have provided hundreds of catered meals for universities, fundraising dinners, corporate lunches, weddings, holidays, and more, all infused with love and heritage.
Families participating in Mozaic's kitchen program have been significantly improving their financial stability and achieving better living standards since before 2017.
From Refugees with Love
Through various initiatives, Mozaic’s "Meals on Wheels" has embodied community resilience by providing warm, culturally appropriate meals to those in need:
Since 2017, Mozaic’s Meals on Wheels has been preparing and delivering meals for local homeless shelters and other local families in need significant occasions, including Ramadan iftar meals and Thanksgiving dinners.
In 2021, Mozaic launched the “Refugees Cooking for Refugees” initiative, with Syrian refugee chefs preparing halal meals specifically for newly arrived Afghan families following the Afghanistan evacuation. This service delivered comforting, familiar meals directly to their doorsteps, offering a warm welcome to the community.
These initiatives continue to support families financially and foster a deep sense of community among refugees, enabling them to lift each other up through the comfort of lovingly prepared, familiar dishes.
From Struggles to Success: Nour's Culinary Journey
Nour embarked on her culinary journey to support her family by attempting to make ma’moul, but her early attempts fell short. After receiving feedback that her ma’moul wasn’t up to par, she reached out to Mozaic for help. With training, quality checks, and an essential culinary kit, Nour refined her skills and discovered her true passion for cooking—creating MacDoos, pastries, and other main dishes.
Mozaic supported her by inviting her to monthly bazaars and facilitating food orders. At one bazaar, Nour sold enough to cover her rent for the month. With the knowledge gained from presentation and marketing sessions, she got creative in her cooking. Her husband joined her, leaving his temporary job to help expand the project.
Two years under Mozaic's guidance led them to save enough capital to buy a food truck in partnership with an investor.
Why We Need Your Support Now
With a growing demand for workers in the food industry, thousands of job openings are now available in the DMV area. Coupled with the increasing interest from newly arrived refugee women, there has never been a better time to resume this vital program. Cooking provides flexibility for mothers, allowing them to align work with school schedules, family routines, and caregiving responsibilities. This opportunity not only offers economic independence but also helps preserve family unity and cultural pride.
Your Gift Can Make a Difference
$50 covers public transportation for one trainee, ensuring they can attend classes.
$150 provides an essential culinary kit, enabling them to build foundational skills.
$300 supports a ServSafe course & certification
$500 funds an entrepreneurship class for one trainee.
By supporting Mozaic’s Refugee Kitchen, you’re providing more than skills—you’re fostering resilience, independence, and hope. Every dollar you give strengthens families, builds economic stability, and enriches our community with diverse cultural flavors and traditions.