Guest speakers at the Seniors’ Centre for Excellence’s first International Women’s Day Luncheon reflected on equality, empowerment and changes women make in the community.
The luncheon, held on March 8 at the Palmerston United Church, featured Janice Benson and Brenda Rawlings from the Raw Carrot and Sharon Lewis of 100 Women Who Care Guelph.
“It’s a new and different way of looking at things,” Benson said. “The Raw Carrot was started by two women at the Presbyterian church in Paris, Ontario. Brenda and I approached the ladies and asked if we could be their first franchise in Mount Forest.”
The Raw Carrot is a non-profit enterprise that has a social purpose. Operated by volunteers, the organization employs people with disabilities on social assistance to make gourmet soup.
The enterprise is inspired by the R. Lupton quote, “Little affirms human dignity more than honest work. One of the surest ways to destroy self-worth is subsidizing the idleness of able-bodied people. Work is a gift, a calling, a human responsibility.”
“People on social assistance want to and can work. Set the scene so they can work,” Benson said. “If they have mental, physical or intellectual disabilities, we work through it.”
The enterprise uses the Mount Forest United Church’s kitchen facilities to prepare soups and work under the church’s charitable status with assistance from grants, donations and community groups.
The organization has four part-time employees and numerous volunteers who have developed a community of people working together.
“We have grown to the point that we need to make a decision about expanding or staying where we are at,” Benson said.
Rawlings was hesitant to join the venture in the beginning after being unemployed for 15 years and experiencing mental health issues. Because of her past, Rawlings can talk with the enterprise’s four employees about their disabilities as she understands what each one is facing because of her own experiences.
“Mental illness still has a stigma attached to it. Someone with this illness is scared to go out in the community, they lose confidence in themselves and what they used to be able to do,” Rawlings said.
The facilities at the United Church are inspected on a regular basis by public health and strict nutritional labelling is applied to each package of soup.
Employees work on Tuesdays from 9am to 2pm and on Wednesday mornings. They are allowed to earn up to $200 without compromising their social assistance benefits.
Soup recipes created by the Raw Carrot in Paris are used at the Mount Forest location. Flavours currently produced by the group include: signature carrot, “flying noodle,” loaded potato bacon, “spicyish sausage” and cabbage and veggie mania. A gluten-free option is also available.
Soups can be purchased at the church during operating hours and after Sunday church services, at Meat the Butcher in Mount Forest and at Harriston Meat Packers. Anyone interested in donating apples or butternut squash to the organization for new varieties of soups is encouraged to contact the Raw Carrot at 519-505-7093 or info@therawcarrot.com.
Another speaker at the event, Sharon Lewis of 100 Women Who Care Guelph, also discussed a unique venture.
While attending an International Women’s Day event in Guelph, Lewis was inspired to make a difference in her community. She shared her newfound ideas with two women she met while volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, Diane Nelson and Tanis Sprott, and 100 Women Who Care Guelph was formed in October of 2014.
The 100 Women Who Care organization has its roots in Jackson, Michigan, where Karen Dunegan organized the first chapter.
Today there are over 200 chapters in Canada and 1,000 in the United States.
“It’s an easy way to raise funds for local charities for those who have too much going on, “ Lewis said.
“The three women called 100 friends and asked for $100 from each friend. In one week the group had raised $10,000 for hospital beds in Guelph.”
The organization meets on a quarterly basis at the Delta Guelph Hotel and Conference Centre. The centre has donated the use of the facilities to the organization.
During meetings, members nominate a local charity for consideration. Names of the nominated organizations are placed in a hat and three names are drawn out. The nominees then offer a presentation on the nominated charity and why they should be chosen for funding.
Members then vote on the charity that will receive funding. A volunteer at the University of Guelph checks the legitimacy of the nominated charity before any funds are allocated.
Since its inception in October 2014, the group has had 14 meetings and has donated to 14 charities, with organizations in the Guelph area receiving $157,000 in funding.
“100 Women Who Care Guelph has no charitable status, no bank accounts and doesn’t officially exist,” Lewis said. “Tax receipts for donations are the responsibility of the charitable group receiving the donation.”
The organization has created untold community connections and new friendships develop amongst the membership. One ripple effect of these meetings has been the creation of chapters in Stratford and Collingwood.
Challenges the organization has faced are details and managing complaints.
“There are a lot of details in running the organization,” Lewis said. “We have discovered that getting someone to write down their complaint and a solution, usually makes the complaint go away.”
Lewis said, “100 Women Who Care has shown me the size of our impact and our efficiency, the generosity of the community, deepening friendships and watching how a small group of committed citizens are changing the world.”
For information email info@100womenwhocare-guelph.com.
