The Raw Carrot hosts Mayor and Councillors for National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Mayor David Bailey, Councillors Lukas Oakley, Jennifer Kyle and Steve Howes attended a special open house tour at Raw Carrot last Friday. Below is employee Emily Kew serving some soup samples. Submitted photos

By Casandra Turnbull

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, so County of Brant Mayor David Bailey and fellow county councillors had the chance to tour The Raw Carrot Enterprise headquarters at the Paris Presbyterian Church to learn more about the growing organization

On October 6th , Raw Carrot Executive Director Rebecca Sherbino, along with members of The Raw Carrot team, welcomed local dignitaries with a tour of the facility.

The guests had an opportunity to see staff in action, as they cooked up fresh batches of soup just in time for the change in seasonal weather. Of course, a tour isn’t complete without some soup samples, so the Mayor and Councillors enjoyed a tasty treat while participating in a presentation led by Sherbino, who launched the enterprise nearly 10 years ago

Founded in 2014 as an initiative to support individuals in the congregation who were struggling to meet their basic needs, the Raw Carrot now employs 32 individuals (12 locally) on the Ontario Disability Support Program, which helps increase their monthly

(on average) by 25%. “There

Many people who live on social assistance are struggling to make ends meet each month, even though they want to work, they can’t find suitable employment,” Sherbino pointed out. “Our staff struggle with various physical and developmental disabilities or mental illness. Many of them work through pain or have periods of time when they can’t work for various reasons The Raw Carrot initiative was set up to accommodate these needs through a workplace with lots of volunteer support.”

The success of the Raw Carrot enterprise’s first location in Paris was replicated in other towns across southwestern Ontario In 2017 the first social franchise opened in Mt. Forest United Church, employing five individuals with disAbilities – and this paved the way for replication and more growth at The Mennonite Central Committee Ontario, the Innerkip Presbyterian Church and the Kitchener Presbyterian

The Raw Carrot products are available in local grocery stores. “When we “buy social” we help create jobs in our community while feeding our families a healthy meal. It’s a win-win purchase every single time,” says Sherbino

To help mark National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the Paris Dam will be lit purple and blue on October 19th in honour of this national movement.