O-Town Kitchen

On Saturdays in the summer, Weber State graduates Isaac Farley and Nestor Robles can be found at farmers markets stretching from Logan to Park City, Utah. Outdoor markets are the best places to sell goods from their nonprofit organization, O-Town Kitchen, which produces uniquely flavored homemade jams and jellies made from surplus food donated by local businesses.

The kitchen employs homeless parents to make the products, using processes approved by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

“Our jams taste like they were made by mom because we give jobs to single mothers who were having trouble finding work,” the kitchen’s founders explain on their website. “Some of our employees used to be homeless and are getting back on their feet; others are disabled. All of them are loving moms with a passion for cooking.”

Farley knows what it's like to be homeless — he’s been there.

“The most rewarding part is working with moms who are in tough situations, like my own family was,” Farley said.

Both Farley and Robles received their Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in 2015 and minored in entrepreneurship through WSU’s Alan E. Hall Global Entrepreneurship Center.

40%

of food in the U.S. goes uneaten
*Natural Resrouces Defense Council

40%

of those experiencing homelessness in Utah are families
*Utah Department of Workforce Services