Nestled in the heart of Forest, Ont., a local not-for-profit is teaching life lessons using measuring cups, mixers and sweet treats.
Geared toward adults with developmental disabilities, Forest Fritter Friends is one part bakery and one part classroom with a pinch of friendship and a dash of community.
“Some people call them disabilities, but we just think they’re awesome abilities,” said Janet Cullen, one of the bakery’s founders.
Cullen and her husband Tom were motivated to start the bakery to help care for their son Mark, 32, and lives with autism.
Cullen received Mark’s diagnosis when he was three years old. She said her mind immediately flashed to concerns about her son’s future.
“Who’s going to look after him? Who’s going to make sure he has clean underwear? Who’s going to feed him when I’m gone?” she said. “So from that diagnosis, I’d always had a plan.”
Janet and Tom Cullen opened Forest Fritter Friends in 2023 to create more skill-building opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities in the community. (Matt Allen/CBC News)
Creating a place where Mark and others like him could learn to be productive became the goal for the Cullen family. The couple moved to Forest in 2020 to be closer to their daughter and were able to secure the location for the bakery.
Thanks to strong support from local donors, the Cullens sourced an industrial oven, donut maker and the other equipment necessary to operate a professional kitchen. The bakery opened in September 2023.
The six-month program, which has so far seen 11 adults participate, involves four learning modules: communication and team building, production, customer service and employment.
During their time at Forest Fritters, Cullen said participants learn everything from filling boxes, peeling apples and stocking shelves to tracking inventory and providing hospitality for customers.
She’s seen the program brings about a remarkable transformation in participants, she said. Even in the time her son Mark has participated, he’s come out of his shell, communication has improved — and he has learned how to be a better friend and employee.
“He now has meaningful days,” she said.
‘A reason to get out of bed’
After graduation, some participants choose to move on to work in local businesses in the community, combining their talents with the skills they’ve honed making fritters. Cullen said that it’s important for everyone to have a meaningful day no matter their ability.
“It’s important to have a reason to get out of bed,” she said. “It’s important to peel back their layers and see what they can do, so they can have success.”
Ashley Burma is part of the Fall 2024 cohort of volunteers at Forest Fritter friends. (Matt Allen/CBC News)
Some of the program’s graduates have even returned to the bakery to mentor other students. Chantelle Kemp-Chambers was among the program’s first cohort, completing her training in the fall 2023. She returned in 2024, and in addition to volunteering at the bakery, Kemp-Chambers takes great pride in showing newer participants the ropes.
“I’m a little nervous,”Kemp-Chambers said. “But I enjoy teaching others.”
Stories from Kemp-Chambers and others who have found success after leaving Forest Fritters are inspiring to Cullen.
“Both Tom and I have known our son for a long time, but to meet these new ones is such a real blessing” she said.
