The Kona Kai Coffee Co. of downtown Kent received the 2011 Restaurant Neighbor Award from the National Restaurant Association for its outstanding service efforts with helping the homeless.
Kona Kai was recognized as the Small Business Category winner for helping the homeless and disenfranchised re-enter society and the workforce, according to an April 13 National Restaurant Association media release.
“The restaurant industry first and foremost is about hospitality and serving people, and community service is a natural extension of that,” said Dawn Sweeney, National Restaurant Association president and CEO. “We are pleased to present the Restaurant Neighbor Award to some of the most inspiring examples of philanthropy in our industry. Kona Kai’s dedicated efforts to help improve the lives of the neediest members in its community are not only exhilarating, but necessary at this time when so many people’s futures have been met with uncertainty.”
Mychal Boiser, Kona Kai’s owner-operator, said he started the program, which takes six to eight weeks to complete, in order to offer hope to others and pay back some of the kindness he had received in his youth when he had been homeless.
The program teaches on-the-job training in the food service industry as well as life skills, including tips on customer service, leadership and responsibility, taking direction from others, accepting feedback from supervisors and how to work with a team. At the end of the course, the company helps participants find employment.
So far Boiser has raised more than $13,000 through private donations and fundraisers to keep the program running.
The National Restaurant Association presented Kona Kai Coffee Company the award along with a $5,000 charitable contribution during its 2011 Public Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C.
American Express is the founding partner of the Restaurant Neighbor Award. It was developed in 1999 in an effort to raise awareness of the industry’s contributions to local communities throughout the country and to inspire more owners and operators to get involved and contribute to their respective neighborhoods.
Earlier this year, Kona Kai won the Washington Restaurant Association state award to qualify for the national award honors.
Kona Kai is at 124 Fourth Ave. S.
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