Plumas Crisis Intervention & Resource Center has purchased an existing historical building in downtown Quincy to develop an essential neighborhood facility called the DragonFly Café.

This site will be dedicated to the training, vocational education, and workforce development of at-risk populations, including those who have been chronically unemployed, lost jobs or been unable to secure jobs. Program participants may include homeless individuals and transitioning parolees and offenders who are seeking a fresh start in their lives and careers.

Initial services will provide on-the-job training in the culinary arts and facility management field through the operations of a part-time restaurant, catering program and event center. Culinary events and topic-specific classes will be held for community members. Future training topics for program participants may include other career/job development skills such as construction, HVAC, landscape design and entrepreneurship. Internships and short-term certification programs will be added. Staff will assist participants with job search, placement, and retention services regionally.

The DragonFly Café will complement PCIRC’s Food Pantry Project through prepared meals for the homeless to help address the high rate of food insecurity within the county. The Café will launch a series of unique food products to sell on-site, across local tourism sites and through a web-based shop. This will engage program participants in training on the entrepreneurship side of running a business. The North Star Navigation Center will develop a comprehensive community garden to provide fresh produce for farm-to-table meals. Senior gourmet meals will be woven into future programming to help feed homebound seniors and disabled residents.

Engaging program participants to help identify and meet community gaps builds self-confidence, establishes roots, and provides full engagement to embrace their communities. This project compliments and builds on existing programming within Plumas County, including the Mise-En-Place culinary program provided in-house at the Plumas County Jail.  Inmates will have the opportunity to transition their skills beyond incarceration to complete their culinary training and safe-serve certifications and enter the job market through this project.