CMHA Grey Bruce has opened a new café in Owen Sound that promotes inclusion and mental health while creating a safe space in the community for people to work and for others to enjoy.
The Fresh Roots café is part of Fresh Roots Catering, located at 1028 2nd Avenue East beside the CMHA’s office. The goal for the café is to employ people with lived mental health experience.
“More than anything it was a way to employ more people, give opportunities for people to expand their skills and really feel like being a part of the community,” said Teresa Pearson, program manager with CMHA Grey-Bruce, told the Owen Sound Sun Times. “There are people who haven’t worked in a long time, or never worked, so that is at the heart of it what we are doing.”
The café and catering business provides a supportive setting where people are able to work under the guidance of CMHA staff to learn cooking, catering and other skills. The program also helps to reduce social isolation, increase access to healthy food and connect people to other community-based resources they may require such as health, legal and housing services.
Open from 7:30 until 2, the Café serves an affordable meals and treats, using local products whenever possible, with the special option to “pay it forward” to provide a neighbour with the same.
Learn more about the café by reading the full Owen Sound Sun Times article or by following their account on Instagram.