Mentoring Positives and Some Great Salsa!

I had a great time this week when I went to Metcalfe's Market for the unveiling of their new product Off the Block salsa. It's the culmination of a lot of hard work from Will Green and his Mentoring Positives team.This group of young men are part of a mentorship program aiming to bring positive goals to young people in Madison, and they are realizing a big dream.

Mentoring Positives aims to help young people living in low income neighborhoods build a brighter future. They're learning entrepreneurship and say they're grateful for a chance to see the fruits of their labor.

The 'Mentoring Positives' team has been working six years to create their own salsa brand, called Off the Block. Now, it's being sold in stores.

The group started from scratch, planting vegetables and working in the kitchen to create the salsa. UW Extension is helping out with production to get more cases out to local stores. They debuted the product Monday night.

Mentoring Positives and Will's work is mainly focused in the Darbo Worthington area, Alder Marsha Rummel's district, and it was great to see her supporting this effort as well. I can't tell you how impressed I was with the young men I met. They are so proud of their work, as they should be!

You can buy Off the Block at both Metcalfe's locations in Madison.