Hugs Café Inc has a goal of providing a place of competitively-paid training and employment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

It seeks to provide training and employment at no cost to the beneficiary. This is achieved by offering quality products to retail customers as a means to fundraise a large portion of the program expenses.

Hugs Café directly employs adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a café setting.  Jobs at the cafe include:

• server
• cashier
• sandwich line attendant,
• sides and dessert assembly
• dish washer
• host and more.

Focus is on both skill mastery and soft skill development with each of Hug Café’s mission-based employees, or teammates. Jobs are carved to meet a person’s ability to achieve the above goals.

If needed, a job coach, or volunteer, is provided to assist a teammate in their current position.

Other programs include:

Hugs Greenhouse: It is the newest employment program from Hugs Cafe Inc. that trains and educates adults with special needs on

• gardening
• retail sales
• and socialization within the community

Hugs Training Academy:

This is an educational training center for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who seek to be employed in the food service and hospitality industries. Cost to attend the Hugs Cafe Inc. Training Academy is $2,750 per course plan per semester.

Hugs Prep:

Provides a place to build social skills, learn food handling and at-home cooking skills, and, for the more advanced students, restaurant, and hospitality skills in preparation for job placement. The cost is $120 per month due on the first Monday of the month. Scholarships are available. The class is taught with a 1 to 2 ratio of instructor/volunteer to students to ensure each student has significant guidance and gentle encouragement as they build their skillset.