Meet Wanda

Resilience, Growth, Confidence

Winnipeg, MB — Wanda is part of The Raw Carrot kitchen at HCM in Winnipeg, where she brings both determination and growing confidence to her work each day.

“Work is more important because I’ve been trying to look for more employment, but there’s a lot of discrimination against Indigenous people, racism, and people with disabilities,” she shares. “That’s what makes it a lot harder for me to find employment.”

For Wanda, steady work also means stability in everyday life. “Extra money is important to try and stretch it as far as you can for groceries, bills, and if there’s extras, then you can do whatever you want, like clothing or even to treat yourself to somewhere to eat here and there.” Her role at The Raw Carrot has also helped her build strength and endurance on the job. “For the first little bit, I couldn’t stand for long periods of time, but it took me this long to be able to actually stand in one spot peeling and dicing.”

Her growth hasn’t gone unnoticed by those working alongside her. “The biggest difference I see in Wanda is just how she has taken leadership with her other co-workers, and how her confidence and sense of humour has just blossomed while being here at work,” says Kitchen Manager, Cara Klippenstein.

Wanda is also proud of the impact her work has on her family. “My cousin is very proud of me for being at The Raw Carrot, serving soup to the customers, getting to know new faces, and getting to know different people. We can meet new people.”

At HCM, Wanda continues to grow in skill, confidence, and connection, finding meaning not only in the work she does, but in the community she builds along the way.

Stories like Wanda’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.