​A serious illness several years ago led Marie Capita to take stock of just what she was doing with her life. The result of that internal dialog was a course correction, one that saw her exchange her legal career for one that she finds more fulfilling – helping prepare Immokalee’s high school students for career success once their school days end. 

Capita is executive director of two organizations that are dedicated to providing the skills to accomplish that goal: Taste of Immokalee and Taste the Impact. 

Taste of Immokalee is a student created and led company that provides hands-on experience in all aspects of business. The focus is on entrepreneurship and leadership and to prepare youths for college and careers. Founded in 2014, the company creates and sells specialty food products representing Immokalee’s diverse culture and rich agriculture. The products are sold online and in supermarkets, including in more than 240 Publix locations. Profits are returned to the community to benefit youth programs, and alleviate hunger and poverty.

Dear Friends,
 
Even though life is not always easy and there are many reminders of poverty in Immokalee, there are also many amazing examples of generosity. 

We have much to be thankful for. In 2020, Taste the Impact saw great success and made great impact in the community. This could not have been achieved without the generosity of people like you. We are blessed by the many supporters who make Taste the Impact possible, including our donors who provide necessary resources, dedicated volunteers who spend time teaching and mentoring our students, and our partners from non-profit agencies who allow us to reach more students and add depth to our programs. 

As one of the founders of our sister organization, Taste of Immokalee, our dream in 2014 was to provide students living in poverty with the opportunity to change their lives and their community through entrepreneurship. Our dream has become a reality that has taken root in many hearts and has sparked change in Immokalee’s environment and beyond.

Through our weekly workshops, students learn the soft skills that can bolster their careers.  Students are eligible for certification under the Florida Ready to Work Soft Skills Assessment program and have the opportunity for a paid educational work-based internship, thereby reinforcing the skills they have learned throughout the year.    

Last year, Taste the Impact served nearly 100 students in the community, including 32 work base paid internships. To continue expanding our program in 2021 and providing more students with the opportunity to participate, we need your support! Now, you can double your impact thanks to our newly announced SPRING CAMPAIGN. 

Please consider making a tax deductible gift before June 1 and double your impact: a donation of $1,000 turns into $2,000, $100 turns into $200! Your gift to Taste the Impact will help more young people change their lives and their community through entrepreneurship. 

We thank you and wish you and your family peace and God's blessings! 

Sincerely, 
Regine Francois, Taste of Immokalee Alumnus
Columbia University Graduate, Class of 2019
​

Originally Published in the Immokalee Bulletin, July 31, 2020

​This summer, when so many businesses are closed and unable to hire, as an essential business, 15 students in our community have been provided with paid internship opportunities through the Taste of Immokalee (TOI) Summer Internship Program. These are students who have completed the Taste The Impact Apprenticeship program and are now gaining hands-on business experience as they run the company, working alongside business executives in areas including marketing, accounting, sales, operations, human resources, and customer service. 

By Jeremiah Paul, Taste of Immokalee Student Intern

​This year has been a new adventure for all of us, but one thing that has stayed the same is the generosity from you, our supporters. Taste the Impact’s number one goal is to ensure that our students have the resources, skills, and guidance to succeed. We would not be able to do this without your help. 

We want to thank everyone who has donated, volunteered, purchased Taste of Immokalee products or has supported Taste the Impact in any other way. Here are some examples of the many ways that your kindness has gone above and beyond in the past few months. 

​An alarm clock buzzes around 4 a.m. reminding them it’s time to start their day. Once up, Jeanne and Jean Astreide travel to the potato packing house, where they spend the next 10 hours working. The couple returns home around 9 p.m. to a house full of children and find their work is not over.

Yvelande Astreide and her siblings witnessed their parents’ lifestyle as farmworkers. After working long shifts, Astreide’s mom and dad came home to a list of routine duties: prepare food, check homework, and wash clothes.  

“It was horrible to see my mom and dad come home after work,” Astreide said. “It’s not a pretty picture at all. They get hurt. They get tired.”