Lifelong friends Kurt Evans and Muhammed Abdul-Hadi grew up together in Philadelphia and now they’re working together to help those in their community. The men found a way to combine their passion for giving back with their love of pizzas. Last month, they opened a pizza shop, Down North Pizza, which only hires formerly incarcerated men and women.
They’ve seen how tough it can be to find employment after leaving prison and having a job is associated with reduced recidivism, which is the likelihood of a former felon to relapse into criminal behavior. So the men offer career opportunities with a fair wage for those previously involved in the justice system as a stepping stone to get back into society. They even offer short-term housing at the apartment above the pizza shop, with six months of free rent so workers can save for the future.
"We're changing the quality of life for our community by being the hand that feeds and teaching others to do the same,” Evans explains. “It was very important for us to help these people coming from the system and break the cycle of mass incarceration.”
Source:ABC News
[Courtesy of Dr. Dave’s Ultimate Prep]