On Thursday, June 13th, 2024, municipal and provincial delegates, staff, donors, corporate partners and supporters of The Raw Carrot attended the 10th Anniversary Celebration & Awards Ceremony at Paris Community Church. The event commemorates a decade of creating supported employment, community, and the dignity of work for individuals with barriers to traditional employment.
The Raw Carrot launched in 2014, when two women from Paris Presbyterian Church saw a need in their community. People with disabilities and mental illness on social assistance were willing and able to work but no one would hire them. That’s when Rebecca Sherbino and Colleen Graham had the idea to start a social enterprise that would create jobs for people who faced barriers.
Before the pandemic, The Raw Carrot opened a new social enterprise annually, creating 6-10 jobs per site and offering supported part-time employment for individuals with disabilities and mental illness at each location. With the closure of the economy is 2020, launching large-scale initiatives was challenging. The social enterprise was compelled to diversify revenue sources and develop new products to improve profit margins. These changes ensured the sustainability of 4 Raw Carrot current locations – providing 34 jobs and supporting future site expansions. All sales from The Raw Carrot handcrafted gourmet foods directly contribute to creating supported employment and reducing poverty among those on social assistance in Ontario.
Rebecca Sherbino, Co-Founder and Executive Director, is grateful to all the supporters who have helped grow the social enterprise from one to more than 6 sites in the last 10 years. “Research shows that work matters to people not only to achieve financial security but also as an important contributor to a healthy and vibrant society,” says Sherbino. “By supporting The Raw Carrot, purchasers and donors are helping build healthier and more vibrant communities through supported employment.”
Sherbino, who founded The Raw Carrot in 2014 and has been at the helm ever since, is looking forward to celebrating and honoring all those who have contributed to the social enterprise’s success. After a decade, it is a nationally recognized social purpose organization that has been successfully providing meaningful employment to people living with disabilities and mental illness on social assistance across Southwestern Ontario.
The Raw Carrot is a social enterprise that employs people who face barriers to traditional employment to secure their own livelihood through the dignity of work.
View the Paris Independent Article here!
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