Governor General Julie Payette visiting COCO Cafe earlier in 2019. Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW

By Spencer Sterritt

Feel Good Meal

COCO Cafe expansion means great things for hard-working supported staff

May 7, 2019 | 2:45 PM

NANAIMO — A beloved Cedar cafe has taken major steps to help an often-overlooked workforce and expand beyond its busy kitchen.

COCO Cafe staff took possession of a new commercial kitchen, which will alleviate stress on the busy cafe and let them expand the valuable supported employment program they run.

Executive director Melanie Atwell told NanaimoNewsNOW they’ll be able to offer 16,000 hours of employment this year for their staff who experience developmental disabilities, up from 10,000. Efforts to support, help and train people who wouldn’t otherwise have the chance has earned the cafe numerous awards in recent years.

“This is going to offer us the space to grow and keep up with demand, while also offering so many more opportunities.” _{Melanie Atwell, COCO Cafe executive director}

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She refers to the new space as “the Batcave” since it’s a much more relaxed atmosphere compared to the cafe. It’s where much of the catering and meal program work will be done.

“We’ll be keeping it more consistent, which will be good for a lot of our supported employees,” she said. “It’ll create an environment which is more receptive to how they like to work, instead of being in a chaotic environment.”

COCO Cafe is now in the final stages of prepping the kitchen space.

Atwell said it’s “an awesome experience” to step into the new work space and see all the possibility it holds.

New equipment and furnishings are still needed, which is why Atwell entered COCO into the FedEx Community Grant Program. It’s a contest for $30,000, which would be used to outfit the kitchen.

She said the community has rallied behind the cafe in the contest and many people vote every day.

“The last few weeks of scrubbing and doing the dirty work in the kitchen to get it ready has been exhausting. When you come home and see all the feedback and people supporting it, it gives a burst of energy needed to keep going. It reminds you that what you’re doing is bigger than just a cafe.”

Voting for the FedEx contest closes on May 13.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit