Chicago Based Recipe for Change Receives John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Award

Chicago, IL, January 27, 2016 (Newswire.com) - Recipe for Change is pleased to announce that on January 27, 2016 it was honored as a recipient of a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Holiday Award in the amount of $50,000, in support of its innovative culinary and fine arts training programs in the Cook County Jail.  The award ceremony was hosted by Julia Stasch, President of the MacArthur Foundation and Theresa Olson, Assistant Executive Director for Cook County Department of Corrections will be among those in attendance.

Founded in March of 2014, Recipe for Change, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, is a program introduced in the Cook County Jail by Chef Bruno Abate, owner of Chicago’s Tocco restaurant.   He enthusiastically volunteers his time and talent for a cause dear to his heart and inspired by the highly successful Padua Prison program in his native Italy.  Inmates interested in participating in the program must submit a written essay and undergo a personal interview with Abate.  Successful applicants move to a dedicated cell block and each must maintain strict behavioral and hygiene standards in order to remain in the three-month program.

Recipe for Change provides culinary education, job skills, cultural awareness, and mentoring in the value of work and responsibility to detainees with the goal of reducing recidivism, promoting personal accountability and building stronger communities.  The Holiday Award will be used to build crucial organizational infrastructure to further its mission which is driven by the underlying belief in the worth, dignity and potential of every human being.  For more information please visit www.recipeforchangeproject.com.

The MacArthur Foundation supports important local programs like Recipe for Change through its holiday award, which are selected following nominations from its staff.  The Foundation supports creative people and institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world.  Details about its programs can be found at www.macfound.org.

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Media Contact:

Bruno Abate
Recipe for Change                                                                                     
1266 N. Milwaukee Ave. 
Chicago, IL 60622                                                                               
Phone:    847-275-8550

General Inquiries (email): recipeforchangeproject@gmail.com
www.recipeforchangeproject.com

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