A New Year, A New Beginning: Celebrating workforce graduates
January 8, 2026
Twenty-one graduates began 2026 with a fresh career start.
This morning, we celebrated the latest graduates of our culinary and warehousing/logistics (LOGIC) training program with a special graduation ceremony. These students persevered, grew and believed in all of life’s possibilities.
“Today, we celebrate these graduates’ decision to invest in themselves and in their futures,” said Anna McDermott, chief impact officer at the Food Bank of Delaware. “You showed up after long workdays, early mornings, family responsibilities, and all the unexpected challenges life throws our way.”
Graduation wasn’t just about certificates; it was about confidence earned.
“The skills you gained are valuable, but the confidence you built is priceless,” McDermott told graduates. “You’ve shown that you can adapt, persevere, and rise. Carry that with you into every interview, every workplace, and every challenge ahead.”
Delaware Secretary of Labor LaKresha Moultrie served as keynote speaker, urging graduates to remember where they began and how far they’ve come.
“This graduation is an official validation of your hardest work, your toughest days, your brightest hours, and your sweetest successes,” she said. “It is also recognition of your belief in yourself, your strength; you would not have gotten here today without them. Yes, people believed in you but more importantly, you believed in yourselves, and you began.”
That message resonated deeply LOGIC graduate Raymere Broomer, who shared his journey candidly.
“Before I came to the Food Bank, I just came home from jail… I was kind of like lost,” he said. “But as I started doing it, I started to feel a little different. I was like, alright, now I’ve got a purpose.”
Today, Raymere is employed by M. Davis & Sons, one of the many employers who partner with the Food Bank to hire and support graduates.
“Only thing I want my life to do is just… elevation,” he said.
Others echoed the theme of belonging and transformation.
“When I came to the Food Bank, I realized that the Food Bank’s an entire community,” said L.O.G.I.C. graduate Mekhi Goldsborough. “Whenever I look at the Food Bank, all I just see is good people… It made me feel at home.”
Instructors emphasized that graduation marked a beginning, not an end.
“This certificate is not the finish line,” said Operations Instructor Shea McGee. “It’s proof that you can start something and finish it.”
The Culinary graduates reached a milestone rarely achieved.
“This is the first time in a long time that we had 100 percent completion. These students started and they finished together,” said Executive Chef Tim Hunter. “Keep believing in yourselves. It’s your story.”
Chef instructor Adrienne Hall praised the group’s unity.
“They began this program as a cohort of 13 and completed it together. This is a huge deal for us,” she said. “It speaks to their resilience, their perseverance, and their unity.”
Workforce Program Coordinator Kyna Baker told graduates, “You guys started this program 100 days ago. In 100 days, effort turns into progress, turns into confidence, and goals turn into results. If you can change your life in 100 days, imagine what you can do in the next 100.”
Graduate Lakell Cooper summed up the moment in a poem and a powerful reflection.
“The Food Bank of Delaware became a proving ground for me—where purpose met pressure and perseverance,” she said. “This culinary program wasn’t just accelerated. It was transformative.”
Her closing words captured the spirit of the day:
“Against the odds, through the pressure… this is not the end. It’s the launch.”
Culinary graduate Terron “Ab” Lockett was not originally registered for the class, but showed up on the first day. He was admitted to class and said at graduation, “You guys do not know how much it takes to get through this process of life. It has been a tremendous journey for me. I just did 10 years in the federal system, and this showed me that I had purpose. I have a career now; it’s catapulting me to a place where I could only envision.”
As they step forward into new careers, new confidence, and new possibilities, they are proof that when people are given opportunity, support and belief, transformation follows.
Congratulations, graduates:
Culinary:
- Nehemiah Bailey
- La’Kel Cooper
- Mirna Garcia
- Grachon Gibson
- Tozlynn Haile
- Carmelitta Higgins
- Kyle Hill
- Shanta King
- Terron Lovett
- Cristian Najera-Cruz
- Christopher Rivera
- Brandy Robertson
- Palmer Wingfield
LOGIC
- Raymere Broomer
- Sharonda Carithers
- Mehki Goldsborough
- Isaiah Harrigan
- Grace Manning-Greene
- Nikkida Reeves
- Graham Russo
- Ciara Smith
Thanks to generous donors, no student pays out of pocket for the program. They include:
- Alliance Data
- Barcalys
- Behavioral Health Consortium
- Capital One
- Chase
- Chef Joey Schilling Foundation
- Comenity
- Delaware Department of Labor
- Delaware Health and Social Services
- Discover
- Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
- Dogfish Head
- Dupont
- Nina Pletcher
- SoDel Concepts
- TD Bank
- Wells Fargo
