Family Services Center – Lunch and Learn Program

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The Human Service field is comprised of a wide array of government and nonprofit agencies that provide resources and programming to Charlotte County residents. Learning what each organization offers can be overwhelming to both clients and the professionals that serve them. This became evident immediately after Phase I of the Family Service Center opened in January 2022. The county moved two of its Human Services divisions to the facility to begin sharing space with 11 non-profit organizations . To help the combined staff learn more about each other’s work, a “Lunch and Learn” program was established with a goal of ultimately meeting once a month. A speaker (or team) from one of the non-profit partners, government offices or a connected program, provides a short 45-60-minute presentation followed by a question-and-answer period. Participants are effectively introduced to new colleagues, resources and services offered by each group and if time permits, they take part in interactive exercises. The sessions are held in the Teaching Kitchen at the Family Services Center during the lunch hour, where people can casually eat their lunch or have a snack while building their knowledge and skills as part of the broader human services workforce.