180 as told by bullet points:

  • The Torch was founded in 2012 and soon thereafter the food truck hit the streets of Michigan serving free food.
  • Not long into the venture, co-founders Rhonda and Sarah noticed many different needs in the community, most significantly: food, housing, and gainful employment.
  • Rhonda continued to work two jobs to support herself, while leading The Torch.
  • Sarah worked and was in school full time completing her MBA, while leading The Torch.
  • The two co-founders prayed and thought about how to expand The Torch, as well as how to find meaningful jobs for themselves which could open up more time for them to work on The Torch.
  • Sarah, an US Army Veteran, also suffers from a physical disability - her shoulder has been repaired multiple times by surgery and she was under the doctor restriction of "no use of right arm".
  • As Sarah neared completion of her MBA she actively searched for gainful employment which would support her, allow her to work on The Torch, as well as not injure her arm - she grew frustrated to continuously run up against road blocks because of her disability. 
  • Rhonda and Sarah began brainstorming possible solutions to their problems, as well as to some of the problems they encountered in the community through their work as The Torch. 
  • The co-founders quickly realized there was an under-served population of people in the community living in poverty - people with disabilities! 
  • The co-founders began exploring the option of  providing a partner organization of The Torch - a business which would allow both co-founders to be employed, work around Sarah's injury, and empower other people in the community who have disabilities by offering them a place to receive job training and help finding employment. 
  • Torch 180 is the first, and only, satellite campus of MCTI and ONLY educational training ground of its kind in Michigan. 
  • The mission of Torch 180 is to train people with disabilities, helping them learn transferable skills in the food service industry - including food prep, cooking, sanitation, and customer service skills they can take to other jobs, gain self confidence, and become active working members included our community.