How Tino went from first shift to employee of the month at Safeway

Five months after his hiring at the Tacoma Safeway on 72nd Street, Tino was named Employee of the Month.

When Tino was looking for a job, he knew exactly where he wanted to work.

Tacoma’s Safeway on 72nd Street was close to home. That mattered. For someone building toward independence, proximity is the difference between a job that works and a job that lasts.

Tino began services with Centerforce in September 2024 through our School-to-Work program, while attending the Endeavor Program at Gates High School in the Franklin Pierce School District. He was focused, motivated, and clear on what he wanted. In July 2025, that work paid off when he was hired as a helper clerk at Safeway. 

Showing up and standing out

From his first shift, Tino came to work with one goal: to do his job well. He is the kind of person who wants to please his supervisors, serve his customers and be someone his coworkers can count on. That effort would define everything that followed.

Working closely with his Centerforce job coaches, Tino tackled the challenges that come with any new job. There were obstacles. There always are. But Tino didn't sidestep them: he worked through them, one shift at a time, with the support of his coaches and the encouragement of his team at Safeway.

By November, that work had been noticed.

Employee of the month

In November, Tino was named Employee of the Month at this store. 

His supervisor, Tori, put it plainly: Tino has worked hard to grow professionally, pushed through challenges, and is always striving to do better. The award, she said, was not only earned, it was well deserved.

For Tino, it was more than recognition. It was confirmation. Confirmation the work he had put in was real, the growth visible, and he belonged on this team. 

The fade

In supported employment, there is a milestone every job coach works toward from day one. It is known as the fade: a gradual, intentional step-back from one-on-one support as a client grows more confident and capable on the job.

For some clients, the fade takes time. For Tino, it became possible because of the consistent, deliberate work he put into his role at Safeway.

As Tino settled in at Safeway, he transitioned from our School to Work program into Youth Extended Services in September 2025, a phase focused on building long-term stability on the job. He graduated from the Endeavor Program in December 2025, and in January, he moved into our Individual Employment services for ongoing, long-term employment support.

Since being named Employee of the Month, Tino's Centerforce job coach team — Heather, Jason and Anna — has been able to fade from one-on-one support entirely. Tino now works independently.

This is the goal of supported employment. Not to create dependency, but to build the skills, confidence and relationships that make ongoing support unnecessary. Tino got there. And the team at Safeway helped make it possible.

Sundays

There is more of Tino's story that deserves its own moment.

On Sundays — the days Tino isn't scheduled at Safeway — his coworkers pick him up. Not for work or a Centerforce activity. It’s so they can all go to church together.

It’s friendship and community. No job placement, coaching plan or program can produce this on its own. It grows organically when a person is welcomed into a workplace as a full and valued member of the team.

Tino did that. And his coworkers (and friends) at Safeway showed up for him in return.

What this partnership means

Centerforce has been placing adults with disabilities in meaningful employment across south King, Pierce, and Thurston counties for over 55 years. Partnerships with employers like Safeway are at the core of that work.

When an employer gives a Centerforce client a real opportunity, and when a supervisor like Tori invests in someone's growth the way she invested in Tino's, the outcomes speak for themselves. Employee of the Month. Full independence. Friendships that extend beyond the workplace and into everyday life.

In the nearly two years since Tino came to Centerforce as a high school student, he has grown from a School to Work participant into a fully independent employee. We could not have asked for a better outcome. And we could not be more grateful for the partnership we have built with the team at Safeway on 72nd Street.

To learn more about our employment services or to become an employer partner, contact us at info@centerforce.net.