WE DON’T HIRE PEOPLE TO BAKE BROWNIES. WE BAKE BROWNIES TO HIRE PEOPLE.

Zen Master Bernie Tetsugen Glassman, while then sensei at Zen Center of Los Angeles, moved to the Bronx, New York City in December 1979. There, he was set on exploring the merging of spiritual training and social action, and in 1980 he incorporated the Zen Community of New York. A departure from the formal Zen training and teaching he himself had received and given until now, he went on to found Greyston Bakery as “…A place of inclusion and opportunity. Bernie recognized that people in the community of Bronx and, later, Southwest Yonkers needed jobs, and so opened his doors to provide employment, no questions asked…Employing individuals regardless of education, work history, or social barriers such as language skills, homelessness or incarceration, and offering the supportive services the community needs to thrive” (from Greyston Bakery’s Website). In 2017, Greyston celebrated 35 years of social innovation, and is being studied by major universities and companies around the world. Bernie has since been recognized with many awards for his groundbreaking work with Greyston.

source https://www.ramdass.org/featured-teacher-bernie-glassman/

further reading:
https://www.greyston.org/about/

https://zenpeacemakers.org/the-three-tenets/

WE DON’T HIRE PEOPLE TO BAKE BROWNIES.
WE BAKE BROWNIES TO HIRE PEOPLE. 

https://www.greyston.org/bakery/