What Our Staff Teach Us About Work That Matters

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and here’s the truth: we shouldn’t need a designated month to talk about this. But we do. Because employment rates for people with disabilities remain stubbornly, unacceptably low. At The Raw Carrot, we see this reality every single day. Not in statistics, but in the faces of people who want to work and have been told there’s no place for them.

Our staff don’t need us to give them purpose. They already have it. What they need is an opportunity to show up, contribute, earn their own income, and be part of something bigger than themselves.

The Real Bottom Line

Yes, there’s the income. Our staff can supplement their ODSP benefits, sometimes increasing their monthly income by up to 25%. That’s rent money. Grocery money. But here’s what matters just as much: the laughter in the kitchen. The Friday morning routine. Having somewhere to be. Knowing that if you don’t show up, the soup turns out different because you matter to the process.

Melanie puts it simply: “It’s awesome being paid. You get to laugh and talk about hard stuff in life and make those things feel better.”

That’s not a handout. That’s what work does for all of us.

Rethinking What’s Possible

We started The Raw Carrot because we were tired of watching people struggle to meet their basic needs while being shut out of employment. The prevailing wisdom said these folks were “unemployable.” Too many barriers. Too much support needed.

But what if we rethought the bottom line itself?

When Kathy learned to use an iPad for taking orders (something she didn’t think she could do), that’s value. When Lori talks about how Raw Carrot staff are there for each other, that’s value. When Paul increased his culinary skills and gained more independence, that’s value.

We’ve created permanent part-time employment for dozens of people on social assistance across multiple locations. This isn’t a training program. This is actual, ongoing, sustainable work.

What NDEAM Means to Us

National Disability Employment Awareness Month is about action. It’s about looking at the barriers we’ve normalized and asking why they exist in the first place.

Every week when our staff fill soup orders and meet customers, they’re not just selling soup. They’re proving that employment with purpose isn’t some feel-good side project. It’s how we address poverty at its roots.

Ryan said it best: “Each person in the kitchen is important in the process. The end result changes if a certain staff member is not in the kitchen.”

That’s not charity. That’s just how good work should function. Everyone matters. Everyone contributes. Everyone belongs.

This October, we’re not just celebrating our staff. We’re listening to them. Because they’re the ones teaching us what inclusive employment actually looks like.

Want to be part of this movement? Buy the soup. Support social enterprises in your community. Advocate for policy changes that remove employment barriers.

Remember: a hand up will always be more powerful than a handout.

100% of Raw Carrot soup sales support the ongoing employment of our staff, creating income, dignity, community, and lasting change.