Congratulations to the IPI Central Canteen for 15 successful years of providing meaningful work training, operating efficiently, and meeting the product needs of Iowa's incarcerated individuals.
IPI first presented the idea of the Central Canteen to the Department of Corrections in 1998 and was approved in 2000. The Central Canteen officially began filling orders on July 31, 2001. On that day, orders were filled for the inmates at the Iowa State Penitentiary, the first facility to utilize the Canteen's services. All of Iowa's prisons were using the Central Canteen by 2004.
Here's a comparison of 2001 to 2016:
| First Day: July 31, 2001 |
15-Year Anniversary: July 29, 2016 |
| 25 Incarcerated Employees |
40 Incarcerated Employees
|
| 4 IPI Staff |
4 IPI Staff |
| 7 Stores |
11 Stores |
| 3 Check Stations |
9 Check Stations |
| 548 Orders Filled |
1,038 Orders Filled |
| 11,579 Catalog Items |
97,847 Catalog Items |
| $9,497.36 in Sales |
$26,312.88 in Sales
|
Run Time: 8 Hours (68 Orders/Hour)
|
Run Time: 8 Hours (130 Orders/Hour)
|
It's easy to see that the Central Canteen has greatly improved their efficiency over the past 15 years! The Central Canteen page has more information about the program. Happy Anniversary!