BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Source: JARC) — JARC FL, a non-profit, non-sectarian organization that provides programs and services to educate and empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and Stealth Supply, a Delray Beach company that provides spare and repair parts in support of the United States Military, are celebrating the expansion of their work partnership.
As part of the partnership, Stealth Supply brings products and packaging supplies to the JARC FL fulfillment center located on its West Boca Raton campus, where over 30 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities stuff, label, pack, weigh, measure and seal packages. The participating JARC clients are all part of JARC’s Adult Development Training (ADT) Program. JARC’s partnership with Stealth Supply started three years ago and has been mutually beneficial ever since.
“Thanks to our partnership with JARC FL and the access we have to the many skilled individuals, there are countless jobs in the last few years that we’ve bid on and won,” said Jerry Kaplan, Co-Owner of Stealth Supply, who started the company with his wife Corie seven years ago. “When I walk into the JARC building, and see the clients working on our projects, it gives me great joy. They have a job and a sense of purpose and accomplishment.”
“JARC’s long-term relationships with Stealth Supply is a great example of the kind of quality work our clients can provide to local businesses,” said Nancy Freiwald, Director of Program Services at JARC FL. “The high-quality, efficient packaging and fulfillment work that our clients do would be a great asset to any company in need of that type of service. Plus, the businesses are simultaneously helping a deserving segment of our society.”
Kaplan agrees: “There are many other companies in our area that could benefit from working with JARC FL. It’ a win-win. You are getting the work done and you are helping somebody make a difference and feel good about themselves in the process.”
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2017, only 18.7% of persons with a disability were employed. In contrast, 65.7% of those without a disability were employed. The unemployment rate for people with a disability was 9.2% in 2017, which was more than twice that of those with no disability (4.2%).
In the Spring of 2019, Stealth Supply’s needs for packaging grew to a point that now a few JARC clients go to the company’s Delray Beach warehouse to work – often operating new machinery. As a result, Stealth Supply was on-boarded in JARC’s Community Works Program, which is designed to provide JARC FL clients better opportunities to be productive, paid and valuable employees within their communities. As part of the Community Works Program, 65 JARC FL clients are currently working at 16 South Florida businesses.
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