As holiday shoppers buy candy, coffee, baked goods or ice cream this year, they’ll be able to purchase with purpose, working with stores and staffs with special needs.
Just 34 percent of working-age adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are employed, compared with 83 percent in the overall population. While larger stores such as Costco, Target, Giant Eagle and Walmart have special inclusive hiring practices and training programs, at some businesses, much of the workforce comprises employees with Down syndrome, autism or other challenges, and the focus is on inclusion, purpose, dignity and “ability,” versus “disability.”
Customers can’t visit Spectrum Fudge’s Penn Hills production facility, but they can find their sweet treats in places ranging from the Pittsburgh Airport and the Hilton Garden in Phoenixville, to local shops including Love, Pittsburgh, I Made it Market, Moio’s, Three Little Birds Café and Beto’s, as well as online.
A gift box from Spectrum Fudge features popular favorites peanut butter fudge, chocolate dipped pretzels and Oreos.
In 2022, with support of his wife Erin, Roger Haney left his corporate health care job to open Spectrum Fudge, a place where their autistic son, Jake, and others could work and thrive. Within two years, they took on co-owners Brandy and Scott Hershberger.
Roger focuses on the business and Scott handles production. The company trains and employs people of high school age and beyond with differing abilities and spectrums. Some are paid, some receive compensation through programs such as the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) and some volunteer. While training, some might only be able to tolerate a 15-minute shift, but as they gain confidence and aptitude, they eventually work one- to four-hour shifts making Spectrum Fudge’s signature product.
The delicious fudge comes in over 20 flavors ranging from standards such as Belgian Chocolate and Rocky Road to the newly popular Dubai Bar Fudge. In addition to making some 60,000 pounds a year, they also create around 30,000 pounds of confections, such as pecan turtles, chocolate-covered Oreos, Rice Krispie treats, bark and flavored pretzels, which make popular corporate gifts. They also have a generous fundraising program.
About 100 people train and work at Spectrum Fudge each year, with the waiting list a testament that the experience is a springboard for other regional employment.
Brother André’s Café, in the lower level of Downtown’s Epiphany Church, has a different business model. The nonprofit provides training and employment for individuals with IDD who remain long-term employees. It was launched in 2019 by Mike and Terri Fitzgerald — whose son, Patrick, has autism and was unable to find employment after completing a community college food service program — Pittsburgh priest Fr. Chris Donley — who also co-founded a group that organized mission trips to work with abandoned, disabled Jamaican children — and his friend and passionate volunteer, Dan Gallagher.
Haley Young (left) and team members at Bunny Bakes & Specialty Coffee get ready to serve some delicious treats.
Today, the thriving café employs 25 (with a waiting list of 53) who bake delicious cookies (including Patrick’s Famous Snickerdoodles) and pastries, and prepare gourmet hot and cold beverages, as well as limited breakfast and lunch items. Tables are arranged for conversation or catching up on emails. And holiday shoppers can purchase clothing, giftware, mugs and bagged coffee and can join the cookie and coffee clubs. It’s clear from the sheer joy on the faces of the staff that they’re excited for the opportunity to work and to share their infectious enthusiasm with customers.
For “cool” treats, check out Cookie Cookie Ice Cream in Kennedy Township. Connie Feda, a “can-do” powerhouse who home-schooled her six kids and worked, wanted to create a sustainable employment opportunity for her daughter, Hannah, who has Down syndrome and was commuting 45-minutes each way to her previous job. She convinced her son, Addison Fox, to leave his software job in Madison, Wisconsin, and join her at Penn State’s Ice Cream University where they learned from the best. Addison liquidated his 401(k), and they scraped together other money, and Cookie Cookie Ice Cream, a true family effort, was born.
One of Cookie Cookie Ice Cream’s “cool” creations — rich apple cider ice cream, sandwiched between two giant snickerdoodle cookies.
The 20 annual employees come from a dozen high schools through the OVR and other agencies. Students train on how to serve ice cream, bake cookies and pastries and prepare and serve hot and cold beverages and maintain the store — gaining employment, making money and building self-esteem. The shop is filled with colorful artwork made by Hannah and other employees with IDD, and their creations decorate everything down to the ice cream containers.
Addison runs the ice cream production, made in two-gallon batches on a Carpigiani vertical batch freezer. He also makes most of the purees used in the 16 rotating flavors (four of which are non-dairy, one is also sugar-free) and he’s the creative genius behind all of the recipes, ranging from standards strawberry, vanilla and chocolate to the popular stracciatella to seasonal favorites. There are pints to go, and they ship all over the U.S. The ice cream can be served in a cup, cone, milkshake or sandwiched between two of their freshly baked, thick, chewy cookies. Patrons select from a case brimming with delectable options or just go with the house favorite, the Fat Elvis — two scoops of banana ice cream surrounded by enormous chocolate crinkle and peanut butter cookies. Emphasizing quality in ingredients and preparation, every bite is worth the calories! Gift cards are available, as are catering and take-home party options.
Another company celebrating people with varying abilities, Squirrel Hill’s Bunny Bakes & Specialty Coffee, is an offshoot of the Friendship Circle, an organization started in 2006 by Rivkee and Rabbi Mordy Rudolph, which offers over 150 programs annually for a cohort of around 550 people. Their goal is to remove social barriers that isolate individuals with special needs and provide opportunities to thrive within their communities.
They opened Bunny Bakes two years ago as a vehicle for inclusive training and employment. Two pastry chefs work in-house with the staff. Trainees learn four modules with specific skills: greeter, cashier, production and back-of-the-house. Then, they “graduate” to employment. From there, they may transition to jobs elsewhere. At any time, there may be 10 trainees and 10 employees. Operations Manager Haley Young, a former educational support teacher, said the goal is for staff to have continued employment through inclusion, to educate the community and to provide opportunity.
The delicious, certified kosher baked goods are neighborhood favorites, especially the jumbo muffins, babka, challah and “hop” pockets. Many include produce and herbs from the rooftop garden (in season), maintained by Friendship Circle members, including Bunny Bakes.
While all of these businesses will fill your stomach with delicious foods and beverages, patronizing them will fill your heart with joy. Supporting them gives opportunity to people who want nothing more than to be an included, productive part of society. This holiday season, you can support them by including their products in your gift giving, and everyone wins!
https://spectrumfudge.com,
https://brotherandres.org,
https://cookiecookieicecream.com,
https://bunnybakes.org