Provide a Safe Job for Hadassah–Organic Bakery

Many of you know Hadassah. If you don't, you should! She's amazing! But when it comes to getting a job, no one will give her a chance to prove herself. Special needs have not held her down. She is bright, kind and loves to cook and bake! So, I am creating a bakery for her to work in.

Watch my video here that explains why we are doing this:

Why did we choose a bakery? Well, for one thing, the North Idaho area needs an excellent organic bakery! I have been frustrated for decades with the lack of a quality bakery in this area. Perhaps you are local and know what I mean. And for another thing, food is something that my entire family loves to create and talk about. It's one of the few things we can all agree on. So, an organic bakery is what I intend to create – for Hadassah, for my family and the community.

If you don't know, my name is Rebekah, and my husband and I are working this summer to convert our 1989 Crown Super Coach Bus into an organic bakery that will float between Wallace, Kellogg and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. I hope to have its "home" in the Silver Mountain Ski Resort parking lot for the winter.

Want to know a little more about Hadassah? Hadassah is my youngest daughter. I have been her fierce advocate since we discovered she had down syndrome when she turned one. It has been an emotional, hard and wild ride ever since. That is a HUGE story all on its own, but now she is 20 years old, continuing to grow mentally and becoming a beautiful and capable young lady. In fact, I think she is more capable than most young adults her age! We have NEVER wanted to be known as a "special needs" family, but she does have Down Syndrome, and though most people don't see it, employers don't think she can handle a job. But she can! She is old enough to desire a job and be productive like others, but we can not find a good fit for her anywhere. I have tried to help her get a job at several different businesses, but no one will give her an opportunity to shine. She is smart and loves cooking food. She wants to learn. She wants to be productive, but no one sees what I see in her. Check out her "How to make Strawberry Shortcake" cooking show here.

Why is this so important? It breaks my heart to see my daughter Hadassah without a place to go each day where she feels important and needed. If you knew her like I do, it would break your heart, too! And then you would do whatever you could to create something for her like I am doing! Our bus bakery conversion project is SUPER important to me because it will provide Hadassah with a safe, fun and challenging place to work. My bakery will be a place where she will thrive as she works beside me (her mom) throughout the days, weeks and months.

Why do I need your help? I am not wealthy, so I need many people's combined help to convert our bus into a bakery this summer so we are ready to launch this Fall (2022). It is crazy how expensive commercial kitchen equipment and everything needed to do this conversion are! Please consider helping me make this Hadassah's reality. No one will fight for Hadassah as I do. No one will appreciate Hadassah as I do. If you love her, please help me give her the chance to shine by helping me create our bus bakery! If you don't know her, but understand the trials of a mom of a down syndrome child, please help me help my daughter.

What is my bakery going to be like? We have named it "The Beach Bum Bakery" because not only does our family love the beach, water and sunshine, but we LOVE food, especially bread! While serving the best QUALITY bread and foods in the North Idaho area, I also want to turn our bus bakery into an inviting place to hang out in winter or summer. I think customers will come around to see Hadassah!

In our bakery, we will make delicious organic bread, soups, one-pot-wonders, desserts, pastries and drinks! I'm so excited for Hadassah and me to serve the community in this way! Other ways that I am planning to serve our struggling local community:

Have we ever worked in food service before? Well, actually, yes! My husband and I have worked in food service before as line cooks, fry cooks, prep, waitressing, dishwashers and cashiers. Our oldest daughter, Maggie, is a Pastry Cook at a renowned French bakery. As a family, we have catered 100’s of events over the years–even for the Prescott College Equine Therapy Program out of Arizona. I know that this bakery will be a good match for us.

What will I do with the funds raised? The funds I raise will be used to continue the conversion, buy the appliances, decore, permits and other things needed to turn our bus into a fully functioning, self-contained commercial kitchen. The bus is only 8 feet wide and 40 feet long so many things will have to be custom designed. I have been gathering our wish list for the past few months. I will also use some of the money raised to take the "safe serve" test I need, buy food packaging for special items, pay the location rent for the first two months and get the kitchen stocked so we can start out strong.

How can you stay in touch with me? Ways to stay in touch with me and see our progress:

Thank you for helping me build this bus bakery for my daughter, Hadassah and our community! I will keep you up-to-date on the progress!