We are thrilled to announce that HEC 95 will feature a silent auction in support of a phenomenal organization that truly epitomizes Dare to Do: DC Central Kitchen. This iconic nonprofit and social enterprise works to combat hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. DCCK provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed. The organization's social ventures include serving scratch-cooked farm-to-school meals in DC schools, delivering fresh, affordable produce to corner stores in neighborhoods without supermarkets, and operating a fast-casual cafe.

We are also ecstatic to have Mike Curtin, CEO of DCCK, join us to speak about his career in social entrepreneurship. After graduating from Williams College in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in religion, Mike lived and worked in Osaka, Japan as a teacher, copywriter, and bartender at his neighborhood pub. Upon returning to the United States, he began a 20-year career in the hospitality business, including owning and operating his own restaurant, The Broad Street Grill, in Falls Church, Virginia.

Mike joined DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) in 2004. Drawing on his experiences in the restaurant business, Mike has spent significant time expanding the Kitchen's revenue-generating social enterprise initiatives. Under his leadership, DC Central Kitchen's Fresh Start Catering has expanded from traditional catering opportunities to include contracts to provide locally-sourced, scratched-cooked meals to schools across Washington, DC.

DC Central Kitchen's Nutrition Lab facility, funded and launched under Mike's leadership, has allowed DCCK to take on more contracts, rapidly increase investments in purchasing from local farms, and improve production efficiency. Due to its many social service programs, the Kitchen now employs over 130 people, approximately 40 percent who are graduates of the Kitchen's nationally recognized Culinary Job Training Program. Social enterprise now accounts for nearly 65 percent of DCCK's total operating budget.