One of the most inspiring parts of my job is seeing the satisfaction of the young people as we work in a team, plus their excitement when the biscuits they have made emerge aromatic from the hot oven.

The privilege we can often take for granted, of being connected to a family and the opportunity for mixing cakes and licking bowls as a youngster, may never have existed for the young people who come to work in the Gateway Kitchen. Together at the Kitchen we measure ingredients, mix and shape dough, lay biscuits onto trays and fi ll the oven. Even taking responsibility for cleaning up is a part of the day to day routine that involves us all – the immediate reward being the anticipation of the coffee break and a taste of the biscuits they made themselves.

Conversations fly across the work bench as we share the repetition of the task at hand. Often under the guise of humour home truths surface, with traumas and past experiences being shared with an honesty refl ecting the trust that has developed between the team. What can be witty and fun one moment belies the depth of sadness that has touched a young person’s life.

I don’t fully know or understand all they have experienced in their short lives to date, but I can see them benefi t from feeling connected and a part of something signifi cant. Particularly, when there is no judgement they can tap into an individual sense of self worth – perhaps for the fi rst time ever.

As I was writing this I got a call from Martin, a young man who worked with us for a little while but is now back in prison. Martin rings each week to see how we’re going – that’s the other really great thing with our team. We form relationships that mean something – and provide hope.

I know that his phone call is a highlight of his week – and frankly, mine.

Anyone who buys our Abbotsford Biscuits will never know the full impact it makes on someone’s life.

Chef Loretta Sartori, Gateway Kitchen

Abbotsford Biscuits order form 2008