Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

—Author Unknown

Metro Lutheran Ministry’s Project CARE Life Skills program could easily use this proverb as its mission statement. With concise classes focusing on topics such as budgeting, job retention, time management, fathering, bargain shopping and landlord/tenant relations, the program is a virtual “how to survive the modern world.”

Life Skills Specialist Nate Whiters the classes that began in October are designed to provide empowerment through education, literally tackling the stumbling blocks that often face people more than willing to provide hard work but sometimes not knowing how.

“So much of our world is not only a matter of working hard but of working smart,” Whiters explained. “A lot of our clients just need to learn a few things to help them work smart.”

The courses, which continue through December, also focus on unlearning negative habits, even negative lessons from childhood. Whiters noted the fathering course as a good example. “We learn how to be fathers from our own dads,” he said. “If you haven’t learned some things correctly, if you learned to dehumanize women or not take responsibility, then that’s what you’ll tend to practice in your own life. Our goal is to talk about that, to examine what we think and why.”

Later courses will include anger management, getting along with co-workers, money management, transportation and legal issues. Whiters, as well as other staff members and volunteers teach the classes which are held at the MLM center at 3031 Holmes.