Meet Monica

Growing in self-confidence and self-esteem

Innerkip, ON — Monica has been working at The Raw Carrot Innerkip site since its launch in 2019.

“I love it! I love the people, I love the atmosphere, it builds my confidence and self-esteem. It’s really rewarding,” Monica says, “It’s a great group of people to work with.”

Monica laughs quietly as she shares that it’s the only job where you can cry and laugh at the same time.  She’s referring to all the onions they have to chop to make the soup. “We never go through a day of work without laughing.”

Monica recalls how life was before working at The Raw Carrot, “Before I mostly stayed secluded. I didn’t socialize much. Now I come here and socialize and I’m more confident. I just feel so much better about myself.”

Monica shares how difficult it is for someone like her, with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and fibromyalgia, to find suitable employment that takes into consideration her challenges. She thrives in a supportive work environment that accommodates her need for a low-stress and encouraging environment.

“I’ve worked a lot of jobs in my life. I worked in the military, as a counselor’s assistant for a retraining program for people on welfare, I worked as a teacher’s assistant, but this is my favorite job in a long time,” Monica says, “I’m satisfied here.”

Monica believes donors should support The Raw Carrot so more people like her can benefit from work that provides income, community, and self-esteem.

“Because it does tremendous things for people’s self-esteem and when you’re on a low income you don’t have many things that you can do, especially if you’re on disability. It’s done amazing things for my morale.”

What’s more she says, “You get to contribute towards your own welfare.”

Stories like Monica’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.