Support Bakery Employing Adults with Disabilities

Hi, my name is Jennie Angell DeMeis, and I’m raising funds to help my neighbors get their beautiful business up and running. Flour Box Bakeshop will be a non-profit bakeshop that employs adults with developmental disabilities, provides our community (Scituate, RI) with a place to purchase delicious baked goods, and distributes any unsold product to local food pantries.

 

When Mellisa and Alex’s son, Jonah, was 2 he was diagnosed with autism, language delay, and Tourette’s syndrome. For many years they mulled over ideas of how to provide Jonah with opportunity once he finished school. They felt pretty sure that they would need to create that opportunity themselves, and as Jonah has recently turned 21 that need has become a pressing reality.

Melissa’s dream for her son is to give him an environment where he and his peers can be trained to do a practical job that they will enjoy, and that has a positive impact on the community. She has developed a business plan that will fill these needs wonderfully, and that will ensure that the job experience is enriching, respectful, and safe. They are looking for a brick-and-mortar location to get the business established.  They are starting with a simple plan of learning to bake brownies, and as the business gets established, they will branch out and add other tasty treats. They will have hours that you will be able to stop by to purchase their baked goods, and a website to order a platter for your meeting or party. Each staff member will have a buddy that will stay with them throughout their workday, assisting them with assorted tasks, hygiene needs, and sensory breaks. It is important to Melissa that the staff be paid a living wage, which is not something that adults with developmental disabilities are generally offered. Your donation will help to make sure that is possible, as well as support them with the general expenses of getting the business started.

 

This will truly be a family affair, as Jonah’s brother, Gabe, will help run Flour Box Bakeshop. That Melissa, Gabe, and Jonah will be able to work together to make this dream a reality is particularly special, as this close knit family has just recently suffered the loss of Alex, husband to Melissa, and Dad to Jonah and Gabe.

 

Having the Kimmell family as neighbors for about 10 years, I can say that making this incredible business a reality is something that they truly deserve. They have been through more than their fair share of hard times, but they have never stopped smiling, laughing, and thinking of others. The love their family has for one another is palpable, and with your help, they will be able to spread that love into the community.