About Paula Haines:
Paula Haines is the CEO of Freedom a la Cart, and has led the organization since June
2016. She began her work at Freedom in 2013 as a volunteer, board member and
founder of the Eat Up! Columbus fundraising event, which raised over $110,000 for
the organization in 2021. Paula leads the organization from an entrepreneurial perspective having
operated her own boutique marketing agency forten years. She was awarded a 2017 Pillar Award as
a Nonprofit Executive Director of the Year and was named a Central Ohio Smart 50 Award Honoree
for her business leadership. Freedom a la Cartreceived the 2019 Aspire Social Enterprise of the Year
Award, the Columbus CEO Best of Business award for Best Caterer, and the 2020 Nourishing our
Community Award from the Ohio Restaurant Association.
About Freedom a la Cart:
Freedom a la Cart is a Columbus, Ohio-based café, catering company and workforce development
program that serves and supports survivors of human trafficking. On theirjourney toward economic
self-sufficiency, participants in this comprehensive, community-based treatment focus on rescue,
rehabilitation, and ultimately,restoration. 373 unduplicated survivors of human trafficking have
received supportive services from Freedom a la Cart. Overthe last six years, 91 of those survivors
have received paid workforce development training, of which 84% have notreceived any new
criminal charges.