Frog Hollow is one of the poorest neighborhoods, in the poorest cities (Hartford), in one of the wealthiest states in the country (yeah, you got it. Connecticut). Enter Billings Forge Community Works: a non-profit, housed in set of rehabbed industrial buildings in the center of the city, runs an impressive collection of integrated businesses, services and programs aimed at revitalizing a struggling community through culture, arts, food and of course—jobs!

Jobs are all the buzz at Billings Forge—the avenue being healthy, local, sustainable and seriously good food. Onsite restaurants Firebox and The Kitchen at Billings Forge and a massive weekly farmers market and vegetable garden provide job training, education and employment (and enough healthy fresh produce and critic-approved dining to feed a city, of course). A 2,600 square foot community studio serves as a multi-purpose room for arts, entertainment and cultural exchange and there are 98 mixed-income, affordable housing units on site in the Billings Forge complex. It’s like all-inclusive get-away, with an eye not on an open bar, but on community enrichment

Donate to Billings Forge Community Works