Second Chances and New Directions: Rise 2 Work Offers Opportunities for SNAP Clients

Three construction vehicles parked side by side

Food and Nutrition Services does more than keep families from going hungry with its SNAP program (aka food stamps). It also gives them opportunities to gain skills, training to secure employment or increase employment earnings to reduce the reliance on FNS benefits.  

Mecklenburg County’s Rise 2 Work program offers job training that leads to meaningful employment for SNAP recipients. Rise 2 Work is part of the voluntary N.C. Food & Nutrition Services Employment and Training program, which is intended to increase clients’ skills, careers, and ultimately their families' financial well-being. 

Rise 2 Work and its partners can help clients find their next opportunity through: 

  • Resources, guidance and connections to skill-building programs and jobs. 
     
  • Those connections offer training, help looking for a job, high school completion, work experience, resume writing, career planning, help with transportation, and much more. 
     
  • Childcare when funding is available. 

The training prepares clients for truck driving, HVAC and refrigeration repair, welding, early childhood education, culinary arts, computer and office basics, a high school GED, and much more. Residents can check out the program opportunities online or visit a Mecklenburg County Career Services Center: 

Success Stories: Read how three men found “Over the Road” opportunities with Rise 2 Work. 

Mecklenburg County’s partners in Rise 2 Work include Central Piedmont Community College, Center for Community Transitions, Community Culinary School of Charlotte, Goodwill Industries, Urban League, NC Works, National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA), Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), and Grace-Mar Services. 

Residents can learn more at MeckNC.gov/Rise2Work.