Picture this: In a corner of New Orleans battered by Hurricane Katrina, hope is once again being served. This is Cafe Reconcile, a restaurant where locals line up outside the door for the gumbo and the catfish platters at lunch-time. But it’s more than a popular dining spot.

Café Reconcile is also a school where at-risk youth can find an alternative to life on the streets — by learning the skills they need to find good jobs and build a future. At the café, young people receive restaurant training, and also find a safe haven of support, mentoring, opportunity and confidence. Even better, the popularity of the project benefits the entire community, by bringing people into the area and raising economic opportunity throughout the neighborhood.

Damaged but not defeated by the hurricane, Cafe Reconcile has now reopened, so that young people can return to learning, and the community can enjoy the results. Today, 37 million Americans live in poverty — that’s one in every eight adults. But a good idea, and a taste of hope, can work wonders.