How did you hear about Clubhouse and how long have you been working here?

I heard about Clubhouse from Helen (our head chef) who I previously worked with, and she encouraged me to apply. I started in January of 2023 and I’ve been here about five months.

What type of work have you been doing at Clubhouse and what does a typical workday look like for you here?

Until about a month ago, I was working with Helen in the kitchen. We usually start our mornings taking breakfast orders and serving coffee. After that, we have the morning meeting with the members to determine which jobs they want to take. I would help get the members set up to do some kitchen work, such as chopping vegetables, pouring syrups and ketchup, putting away dishes, stuff like that. I usually made salads and desserts and Helen would work on entrées and soups. Sometimes there was flexibility depending on what was going on that day. After lunch I would do baking to prepare for the next day. Then it would start all over again, we would groceries or things to put away, stuff like that.

Now that you are out of the kitchen, can you talk about what you are looking forward to this summer and some of the new things you will be doing?

‍I am looking forward to our space enhancement program that I’m running with Magnolia (staff). That is something really rewarding to be a part of, because helping our members feel more in charge of their personal spaces is a good goal. I also struggle to feel in charge of my own personal space at home, so to be able to offer support is rewarding. There is also a community kitchen program coming up on June 9th which will be more like a workshop teaching people to cook a simple nutritious meal. Supplies will be based off what I can most efficiently use out of our kitchen’s excess supply of groceries. Alongside those two programs I also help members with daily affairs such as forms, assistance in finding housing, or helping members contact their support workers. I also manage the cash out with members and lead our business clerical unit.

Tell me more about the Space Enhancement Program and the Community Kitchen?

For sure! Our goal of the Space Enhancement Program is for members to feel like they can take more initiative in their own home and space whether it be clutter, organization, or every-day things like washing dishes. This program is a simple way to support and care for our members in a way that is empowering.

With the Community kitchen the goal is to add to the current cooking repertoire of our members and encourage them to cook simple, fast, nutritious meals at home. We want to help them set some realistic goals of veg, meat, and starch--it doesn’t always have to be a gourmet meal. These skills help them at home but also set them up in our kitchen and in potential job and volunteer opportunities. I want this program to show members ways to make meals out of what they already have in their house and help demonstrate that eating a nutritious meal can be hassle free and affordable.           

What is your vision for Clubhouse? What do you want to see happen or change or grow?

Well, that is a loaded question. Ideally, I want members to become more comfortable with their own lives. All the time, I hear “…well this thing is happening to me.” Everyone needs to feel some control and choice over their own life. I want to help members be able to regain some of that control and empowerment in their life and I think that we can get even better at that here. It is a broad goal for sure, but I’ve seen firsthand the value of this for members and others. It is a hard place to be in when you feel you have lost control of your own life and decisions and Clubhouse strives to be a space where members can work that.