Today, Tuesday, June 27, 2023, The Breaking Ground Cafe, located within the YMCA of Wright Crescent, celebrates its 10th anniversary of providing meaningful employment opportunities to adults living with persistent mental health concerns. I was.
The cafe is operated by Jobwell Social Enterprise (formerly Voices, Opportunities & Choices Employment Club or VOCEC), a non-profit organization whose operations are supported by Providence Care.
“The team at Breaking Ground Café provides YMCA daycares with over 180 meals per day while fostering a caring and supportive work environment. They are a truly dynamic and innovative team,” said Laura Nowitzki, Manager of Affirmative Businesses at Jobwell.
Up to 90 percent of people living with severe and persistent mental illness remain unemployed, despite clear evidence that work is essential to recovery, according to a Providence Care announcement. .
“Here, when you’re having a hard day, everyone understand. We can be honest about our concerns or whatever they are and know without a doubt that we will not be judged by them,” said Jeffrey Smith, Café Associate.
“Working in a normal environment can make you feel like you’re the only one with a health problem,” says cafe worker Jennifer Bellamy. No, that’s impossible,” he added. “Working here, I’ve proven that I can do the job. I enjoy the support and can work several hours a week.”
Providence Care pointed out that serving food to licensed nurseries means that everything must follow Ministry of Health food guidelines. Over the past decade, Breaking Ground Café has prepared over 130,000 lunches and over 325,000 snacks for YMCA daycares.
Smith and Bellamy are just two of the hundreds of people who have found collaborative work at Jobwell since Jobwell first started as a VOCEC in the fall of 1993. When his Breaking Ground cafe opened in 2013, it was Jobwell and Bellamy’s first large-scale food business. Later he laid the foundation for two other cafes. At the Lake Café, located in Providence Care Hospital, and the Great Lakes Kitchen at 525 Montreal Street.
Providence Care says that as a non-profit organization, any surplus funds generated from Jobwell’s operations will be used to start new businesses or expand existing businesses to create more meaningful employment opportunities in the community. It has been reinvested. Jobwell creates jobs for people living with mental illnesses that often face barriers to work, including stigma and discrimination. Breaking Ground Café is one of Jobwell’s longest running businesses and has provided community employment to dozens of people over the past decade.
“Breaking Ground Café is a shining example of what is possible when people come together to support each other, provide a compassionate workspace, and work hard,” Nowitzki said. “Congratulations to the rest of the Breaking Ground His Cafe community on their 10th anniversary!”
