Zen & Brownies: Greyston Bakery Makes a Difference

They’ve been featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes, and written about by the Dalai Lama. They supply Ben & Jerry’s with all the brownies for their ice cream, and they’re carried by Whole Foods markets. But, more importantly, Greyston Bakery has provided individuals in Southwest Yonkers, NY with employment skills and resources to lift them out of poverty.They have an open hiring process that has given jobs, no questions asked, to the homeless, to convicts, and those struggling with addiction issues. Their motto is “We don’t hire people to bake brownies, we bake brownies to hire people.”

T his philosophy fuels a commitment to human growth and potential and addresses some of the most challenging problems facing our country today. Founded in 1982 by Bernie Glassman, a Zen Buddhist, Greyston has become a role model for companies looking to do more for their communities. Profits from the bakery help support its parent organization, the non-profit Greyston Foundation, which provides child care, housing, health care, job training, a computer learning center, and more for low-income people in the community of Yonkers.