(Photo from MagCor)
- On a recent facility visit, State Senator Lydia Chassaniol recognized the need for updated equipment in MAGCOR’s training facility and connected the organization with Viking Range.
To some, it might be just a new stainless-steel stove, but to the half dozen women in MAGCOR’s ServSafe certification program, the four-burner stove says the community cares.
MAGCOr’s mission is to provide men and women a pathway to successful reentry from prison into society through employment training and opportunities while reducing recidivism.
The stove, donated by Viking Range LLC of Greenwood, gives the incarcerated women a chance to learn food safety on a modern piece of equipment.
“This was a really good way to give back to our community,” said Robert McBryde of Viking Range. “Viking believes in giving people second chances.”
“Second chances” was the theme of the day on Wednesday, when the unveiling was held at MAGCOR’s Jackson office. The women expressed gratitude for being given a second chance, and MAGCORofficials spoke about the importance of second chances in people’s lives.
State Senator Lydia Chassaniol (R), vice chair of the chamber’s Corrections Committee and a former member of the Mississippi Parole Board, also spoke of the need to give inmates a second chance upon release.
The senator emphasized the importance of job training. Around 95% of inmates will be released from prison, she said. Once released, Chassaniol knows a job and family support are two vital elements for successful reentry. However, a portion of inmates lack job skills, which is why MAGCOR is necessary for their success, she said.
“Everybody deserves a second chance,” she said. “If you don’t prepare people, they are going to fail.”
On Wednesday, the women in the ServSafe program closely examined the stove, running their hands over its top, admiring the oven’s space, and asking scores of questions.
“How do you clean the stove top?” asked one.
“How big is the oven?” asked another.
When another was told the gift was a convection oven that transfers heat directly to the pot instead of the top, she rolled up her sleeves and showed McBryde several burns she had received from the group’s old equipment.
The group received the range after Senator Chassaniol visited the facility and noticed that their old stove looked like something from 1969, she said. She then contacted Viking Range and a few weeks later, a new, modern, top-of-the-line stove was delivered.
Chassaniol said programs like MAGCOR are a win-win. The inmates enter society with an in-demand job skill, while Mississippi sees a reduction in recidivism, saving millions of dollars.
“I’ve often said, ‘Prison is the most expensive boarding school in Mississippi,’” she added.
Daniel Tyson
