FeedMore WNY and Bank of America teach students in the RISE program about financial literacy.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — As 2 On Your Side celebrates our Food 2 Families drive, we’re also taking a closer look at one of FeedMore WNY’s programs that helps people with financial literacy. 2 On Your Side found out how this knowledge can make a huge difference in the lives of Western New Yorkers.
FeedMore WNY launched Readying Individuals for Success and Employment, or RISE, in 2020.
“Many of the RISE students do go on to work either at FeedMore WNY or through many of our employer partners, as well. They often receive multiple job offers on graduation, and it also has a ripple effect within the student’s own household,” said Catherine Shick, FeedMore WNY public relations manager.
Along with the courses FeedMore offers through RISE in warehousing and logistics and culinary and food manufacturing, it also has life skills courses mixed into those. One of them covers financial literacy thanks to FeedMore’s partners at Bank of America.
“What we do is we teach those individuals how to save money. We teach them how to achieve their goals. We teach them what home ownership can look like for them, whether it’s now or in the future, and we have a great group of cohorts that do that day in and day out,” said Ted Janicki, Bank of America president of the Buffalo Niagara region.
People in the RISE program learn about financial literacy in those three main areas: how to save money, how to create a budget, and how to set a financial goal.
“For some people, that might be home ownership, for some people that might be starting to save for their child’s education, but really identifying what is the financial goal that an individual might have, and then how they can create a real path to achieve that goal,” Janicki said.
“It’s great. You can always use more tips, especially now that everything is so expensive,” said RISE student Steven Williams, who is in the RISE program right now.
“Besides going to school, we work in a warehouse and help in the community. It’s a wonderful experience,” Williams added.
Matthew Padilla graduated in September. He uses the skills he learned in the RISE program to budget and save money. Padilla just got hired as a warehouse supervisor at Rosina Foods.
“Just understanding from receiving a paycheck, your income essentially, and understanding how you could diversify your funds, whether you put it into a savings, into a checking, and understanding how to essentially build your financial wealth little by little,” Padilla said.
Anyone who is interested is encouraged to sign-up for the RISE job training program any time.
“We offer a variety of wrap around services through RISE, as well, including transportation assistance and child care assistance. So we do encourage you to get involved. It is a rolling application, and we offer several classes in both warehousing and logistics and culinary and food manufacturing throughout the year,” Shick said.
It is free, and you can signup online.