Teens Support Special Needs Adults at Hugs Cafe Dinner

McKinney, TX  A group of Frisco teens recently attended a dinner at Trinity Presbyterian Church in McKinney, Texas, to help adults with special needs complete their training and preparation for real-world employment as cooks, servers, and hosts at Hugs Cafe. 

Ruth Thompson, founder and president of the nonprofit Hugs Cafe, Inc., learned long ago that adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are often passed over for employment opportunities, depriving the job market of an abundant crop of undiscovered talent. She combined her professional experience with the special needs population and her passion for cooking to create Hugs Cafe, a unique concept restaurant that has since expanded into other services, including a training academy, life skills cooking classes, and a greenhouse. 

Employees from Hugs Cafe hosted the dinner, demonstrating their creativity, intelligence, and resourcefulness and opening others’ eyes to their professional contributions.

Attendee Mindy Peterson said, “I enjoyed attending alongside my daughter to serve these wonderful young adults. Watching our youth treat them as peers was very touching. The program is doing a phenomenal job teaching the students real life skills.” She continued, “The students in the program were very professional. They seemed very excited to be serving kids close to their age. I was very impressed and hope more young adults can benefit from the program.” 

Her daughter Alyssa also commented on the experience. “I liked when they introduced themselves, and we got to learn about their future plans once their training is complete. I felt a closeness to Heavenly Father being with them.” 

The teen group performed a service for the future Hugs Cafe employees simply by coming to the table hungry, allowing others to serve them, and bringing their smiles and friendship. 

The Hugs Cafe Training Academy is a model to serve the learning needs of many different abilities in the community. Everyone has something to offer, using talents, gifts, and skills that may as yet just be undiscovered. And a trip to Hugs Cafe in downtown McKinney might make your day, too; no visit is complete without a hug.

For opportunities to volunteer with Hugs Cafe or fulfill other ongoing needs in your area, go to JustServe.org.