FOOD CART PROGRAM

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Development Center for Pregnant Teenagers (DCFPT), a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 2012, is seeking $26 Million dollars for our “Food Cart” project. Approximately 13,000 youth have been served by DCFPT over the past seven and a half years.

The Mission of DCFPT reads “We are a developing families center meeting primary health care, social service and child development needs of underserved individuals and childbearing and child rearing families through a collaborative that builds on their strengths and promotes their empowerment.” 

Teenage pregnancy is defined as pregnancy in human females under the age of 20 when the pregnancy ends. In the United States 82% of pregnancies in those between 15 and 19 are unplanned. Pregnancy and giving birth significantly increases the chance that these mothers will become high school dropout and as many as half have to go on welfare. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, nearly 1 in every 4 teen mothers will experience another pregnancy within two years of having their first. Teen pregnancy cost the United States over $9.1 billion in 2004, including $1.9 billion for health care, $2.3 billion for child welfare, $2.1 billion for incarceration, and $2.9 billion in lower tax revenue.

 Maryland was ranked 26 (1is the highest) out of 51 (50 states + the District of Columbia) in pregnancies to females aged 15- 19. When looking at women in Maryland overall, not just teens, 58% of all pregnancies are described by women themselves as unplanned. In 2008, public spending for births resulting from unplanned pregnancies in Maryland totaled an estimated $235 million.

The DCFPT Food Cart Work TrainingProgram we enter into partnership withBiteMe,will utilize a commercial food cart to be used by the program participants to learn job skills. Because many of our clients are just teenagers they often lack the experience and training to attain employment beyond minimum wage. This program will focus on both technical business skills as well as business ethic skills. Our program participants will learn the ability to communicate effectively, work on a team, resolve conflicts, confront ethical dilemmas, and manage their time in an effective manner.

This program will focus on the skills of improving tardiness and absenteeism, failure to follow instructions, and inability to get along with supervisors or fellow workers.

Upon completion of the training participants will be provided with certificates to be placed in their portfolios.

Each Food Cart completely fitted and ready for business is $23,000.DCFPT is seeking $26 Million dollars for the initial Three Hunderd (300) Food Carts.  

Upon completion of the DCFPT Food Cart Work Training program/BiteMe, previously unemployed pregnant teenage mothers will have an increase in their understanding of how to get a job and keep it once hired. Participants will learn to prepare a resume, make a good first impression, fill out a job application, prepare for a job interview, and practice good work ethics.

They also learn valuable entrepreneurial skills. Our programs make significant positive impacts on both the teenage participant and the community overall.