Work Day Cafe gives work opportunity for people with disabilities

Sept. 20--FAIRMONT -- The Op Shop may be the one with the "help wanted" sign, but it is actually the one helping others with jobs and job training.

The non-profit organization has just cut the ribbon for the Work Day Cafe on Pennsylvania Avenue, where people with disabilities can work and recieve training in jobs in the food service industry.

"Years ago we only trained people in janitorial positions, and while I was looking for somewhere else on where there were jobs available restaurants were number two after government, so I thought that would be a good concept for us," Jan Smith, executive director for the Op Shop, said.

For more than seven years, Smith and the crew at the Op Shop were working toward opening a restaurant as an opportunity for

those with disabilities to work. While the organization already has programs for a "wide range" of physical and mental disabilities in fields such as screen printing, assembly and the aforementioned janitorial, the volume of jobs in the field prompted the Op Shop to help provide another direction.

"We wanted another path, so we thought food service would be a good path to train individuals and place them in jobs within the community," Eric Freeman, assistant director of the Op Shop, said.

Freeman said the cafe employs about nine people, and although not all have a disability, the goal is to get people trained while working on the job. Employees are able to work at the cafe until both they and the Op Shop feel comfortable with moving on to find another job, at the employee's leisure.

"As far as training goes, it's not that difficult to get people trained here. Two of our cooks have disabilities and hopefully we'll get them moved on to work in other restauraunts," Freeman said.

The Work Day Cafe has actually been open for more than a month now, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday was not the grand opening of the store. Therefore, the employees were able to show off the restaurant's food in full with an open house ceremony. They displayed the restaurant's cooking with wings, chicken salad, coleslaw, steak and sugary desserts, all free and open to the public.

The Work Day Cafe is open from 6 a.m.-3 p.m. and offers catering in addition to restaurant services. This gives its employees exposure to different facets of the service, which is helpful when applying for other jobs. As a member of the Marion County Chamber of Commerce, the Op Shop and Work Day Cafe has the support of its administrators.

"I'm just thrilled for them to open up to the community just to give everyone one more option," said Tina Shaw, president of the Marion County Chamber of Commerce.

Shaw also commented that the Op Shop and its crew is new to the concept of food service, but hopes its success will lead to it branching into other fields.

"Just to see the changes in the area and all that's happening, it's uplifting and it sets the tone for what's to come," Shaw said.

Although they are new to it, the crew of the Op Shop is eager to dig into the business.

"We're still learning so they're still learning too, it's a learning process," Freeman said.

Email Eddie Trizzino at etrizzino@timeswv.com and follow him on Twitter at @eddietimeswv.

___

(c)2017 the Times West Virginian (Fairmont, W. Va.)

Visit the Times West Virginian (Fairmont, W. Va.) at www.timeswv.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.