ATHOL – The Polus Center for Social and Economic Development is one of five organizations to receive state grants to support job training, employment placement and post placement services for young adults with disabilities.

Christine McCarthy and Kyrsten Hassan have both taken part in the center’s training program and were among the speakers at a Tuesday event, where Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones announced the awarding of $850,000 in grants to the Polus Center and Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School (Monty Tech), among others.

The center will receive $199,991 to support 24 young adults with disabilities in completing six weeks of training to gain customer service and job readiness skills in the grocery and retail industries.

“The employment program for young adults with disabilities, administered by Commonwealth Corporation, builds on the Healey-Driscoll administration’s strategic investment to track and develop diverse skilled talent to meet the needs of Massachusetts employers across industries and statewide,” said Jones.

As part of the grant, the Polus Center will partner with Price Chopper, CVS Health, Shaw’s Supermarket and Mass Hire North Central Workforce Boards/Career Centers in the effort to give young adults with handicaps the chance to earn a living.

“It will bring hands-on learning opportunities and real-world experiences for young adults to gain relevant skills to thrive in today’s workforce, and certainly to ensure employment in the future,” said Jones. “Kai’s and Christine’s stories demonstrate exactly why we focus on investing in our people. Workforce training programs like the one we celebrate today are essential to building a more inclusive and competitive Massachusetts. We want every young adult, including those with disabilities, to have a clear pathway to meaningful employment.”

“We appreciate having the ability to provide training for young adults with disabilities to help them obtain their first jobs in a grocery or retail setting and to support our employer partners in finding the talent they need to strengthen their workforce,” said Dr. Theresa Kane, executive director of the Polus Center. “We believe this strong foundation of workplace skill development and job search support will carry them through the rest of their careers.”

McCarthy said she had received training and support from Polus and other organizations such as Open Sky Community Services and the Salvation Army and has been working at Whole Foods Market for three years.

“Before I started my job,” said McCarthy, “I learned basic skills like how to bag things properly, how to store things properly, take old stuff off the shelf and put new stuff on, what to do if I find anything green or yucky.

“Life’s been good. At Whole Foods, I’m in the produce department and I’m running circles around all the guys,” said McCarthy to laughs and applause. “I love working and I like to be independent. And I love my job, and I never want to quit.”

“I’m an 18-year-old in the system and never even imagined having a job,” Hassan said. “To be honest, I did not like to be in the classroom, but I kept going. Now, when I look back, I’m glad I continued. For me, it wasn’t just the money, it was learning that I am capable of doing the things that normal teenagers and adults can do, and the fact that I was thriving without being in a program.

When Shaw’s hired Hassan, she began in the floral department. Hassan said she then moved to the bakery department, but didn’t like it and was transferred to the front, bagging groceries.

“I learned customer service and better communication skills,” Hassan said. “My job isn’t just a paycheck, but a new way of life.”

A release from the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development said Monty Tech was awarded a grant of $132,900 to “deliver a 12-week, targeted training program aimed at serving 20 young adults with disabilities (specifically those diagnosed with autism and Down syndrome) to better prepare them for the workforce.”

Other organizations receiving grants included Community Work Services of Boston, $200,000; Employment Options, Inc. of Marlborough, $200,000; and Partners for Youth with Disabilities of Boston, $120,000.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.