WASHINGTON- On an overcast Washington morning in December, a warm cup of coffee and a scone or a steaming bowl of soup isn’t a hard sell. But hearing their lunch will help veterans pursue their dreams of higher education is something many neighbors seem eager to get behind.

The patriotic-themed Dog Tag Bakery on Georgetown’s Grace Street is part of a larger program that assists wounded veterans earning their business degree at the nearby university.

“Everything we earn when we start to earn money will be plowed back into the program and it’s also a laboratory for the students who are going through the program at Georgetown to actually utilize the skills they’re learning,” says Dog Tag Inc. board chair Phil Cassidy.

Working 15 hours a week in every part of the business, the veteran fellows learn sales, book keeping and the online management of the business.

The fellows’ tuition is made possible through Dog Tag Inc. Every veteran participating in the program was enlisted in the military and was wounded during service, Cassidy says.

“It’s so important for our wounded warriors to not be defined by their disabilities, says co-founder Father Rick Curry, SJ.

“Our program … is designed to help veterans with disabilities and their spouses find the confidence to start a new chapter in the civilian workforce,” Curry says.

The inaugural class of Dog Tag fellows were chosen in the spring of 2014. Seven of the class’ 10 original members graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies on Nov. 19 with degrees in business administration.

The bakery is open Wednesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.

See the interior of the bakery:

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