#WATWB – Minnesota Barkery Helps People with Autism Find Jobs

Welcome to the second month of the We are the World Blogfest! This month’s post happens to fall at the end of National Autism Awareness month, and I came across this gem of a story on Twitter.

Before I get into it, let’s thank this month’s co-leaders of the blogfest: Simon Falk, Inderpreet Kaur Uppal, Mary J. Giese, Peter Nena and Belinda Witzenhausen.

I know a few people who have been diagnosed with autism, in it’s various forms, and I know how hard life can be for them. I am grateful when I read stories like this, stories that are so touching. A barkery (dog treat bakery) hires people with autism to work because they have such a hard time finding jobs.

Here is a quote from the A Plus article:

Finley’s Barkery trains its workers to make handmade dog biscuits inspired by recipes the owners give to their own mini German Shepherd, Finley. As the company says on its website, “Finley’s Barkery provides a fun, supportive and challenging work environment for our team to thrive.”

Plus they invest a portion of their profits “in initiatives meant to elevate the lives of Finley’s team members and partners in the community (both 2 and 4 legged).”

“Having over 20 years of experience working with individuals with autism and other intellectual disabilities, we knew their capabilities are often underutilized, or misunderstood in a work or business setting,” the Barkery founders told A Plus. “We believe everyone has strengths that allow them to be successful, when give the responsibility and opportunity. We wanted to look at it from the perspective of how do their strengths propel a business versus evoking sympathy for what some see as a disadvantage.”

You can watch a video and finish reading the article on A Plus’s website and find out more about Finley’s Barkery on their site.

Together, we can make a difference, and this barkery is proving that. That’s why it means so much. Just because someone has a “disability” doesn’t make them any less valuable, and Finley’s Barkery understands that. They take what makes these beautiful people unique and special and helps them achieve their goals, giving them a safe and friendly work environment to be in. It’s beautiful, and I just adore this story. I hope you do too!

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