Meet Allison
Finding Stability and Community
Kitchener, ON — Allison speaks fondly about the family dynamic at the Kitchener location. “It’s a place where you can go to be accepted and treated equally,” she says. She sees her co-workers and Leah, the site’s kitchen manager, as family and feels comfortable talking to them about anything in her life.
What Allison appreciates most is that her manager knows she is capable. She enjoys preparing the mixed vegetables. “It’s calming. There’s no end time. No pressure. The job is done when the soup is done.”
Before working at The Raw Carrot, Allison held seasonal jobs at a Halloween store and Party City. Those positions were challenging, so she worked with a job coach to find something more consistent and permanent. When the opportunity at The Raw Carrot became available, she knew she had found the stability she had been looking for.
The Raw Carrot understands that for people with disabilities and mental illness, jobs are often seasonal and unstable. That is why the organization is committed to offering permanent, part-time work, giving staff something reliable to count on.
When asked how more funding could help The Raw Carrot, Allison reflects, “If people give more funds to The Raw Carrot, it will help me and the others stay employed. It would also help us buy more fresh ingredients.”
Allison is grateful for her job. “I have learned new skills at The Raw Carrot over the years. I have been able to learn when I am comfortable interacting with others and when I need my down time.”
She is eager to share a message for others with disabilities and mental illness. “We want to work and we are capable of work. We are not stupid. We are happiest when we get into a routine. A job is important because it gives you money and helps with bills so you can share responsibility.”
Outside of work, Allison loves reading fantasy novels. After helping her mom pay the cable and utility bills and covering her bus fare, she enjoys buying books with the money she earns from The Raw Carrot.
Allison laughs as she adds, “My only complaint is that I would like more hours!”
Stories like Allison’s show that when someone receives a hand up through supported work and a place to belong, they thrive. We invite you to get involved to help create more opportunities in even more communities across Canada.