The Kinsmen Cafe is celebrating its grand opening today and looking excitedly ahead to the future of the newly introduced employment program from Moose Jaw Families for Change (MJFFC) and the Kinsmen Inclusion Centre (KIC).
Located on South Hill, the Kinsmen Cafe is now open every day of the week, serving breakfast, lunch, coffee, tea and snacks with unmatched enthusiasm.
“We've had a pretty good response so far this morning, it's been steady,” said Katie Statler, community coordinator for the MJFFC, on opening day. “I think South Hill is sometimes forgotten, so we're happy to provide to the growth of the businesses on South Hill.”
The Cafe will feature a lunch special that changes every day, as well as regular menu items like breakfast sandwiches, chilli in a bread bowl, waffles, and other lunch favourites like wraps, soup, and salads.
“We're kind of saying that we're a condensed, home-style menu to start. So, what's on our menu now might not be the same in a month or two,” said Statler.
As an expansion of the services already offered by the KIC, the Kinsmen Cafe is a unique project that the MJFFC felt was a natural next step to promote community inclusion and provide a needed opportunity.
In debating how to expand their programming into new avenues, the MJFFC realized that many at the centre were interested in finding employment, especially within the food services industry.
“Unfortunately for the folks that we serve, sometimes finding employment can be a little bit hard,” said Statler. “So, our management team for the agency did some brainstorming and we actually decided on the idea of a cafe.”
The Kinsmen Cafe is a part of the Imagine Employment program, a new initiative from the MJFFC that offers work opportunities for folks of varying disabilities at both the Cafe and at Victoria Towers making meals.
About a dozen individuals are now employed at the Kinsmen Cafe throughout the week, handling everything from food prep to serving tables to greeting customers at the door with menus.
Liz Saldivar, employment program coordinator and job coach, is excited to see the opportunities the Cafe has made available.
“Our main goal was that we wanted our participants who were already involved with MJFFC to still feel like they have a purpose. . . that they're just like you or I and they can have some form of employment,” said Saldivar. “It's definitely a project I'm proud to be a part of and I'm really looking forward to seeing where it is in a year.”
Saldivar works with individuals to reach their employment aspirations and does her best to make sure each individual is placed in the right task for them.
“We're trying to be as flexible as possible, for them, because in the long run this is for them,” said Saldivar. “We just want them to feel successful and like they're a part of us, in their daily lives.”
With the employment program now in full swing, Saldivar welcomes anyone with any kind of intellectual disability to bring a resume in to the KIC or the Cafe and talk with her about getting involved with Imagine Employment.
The Kinsmen Cafe is located at 431 4th Ave SW, and is open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is currently a cash-only establishment.
To celebrate the grand opening, anyone who stops by for a lunch item from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2 will get a free dessert with their meal.
