Great things happen when a community market shows up for its neighbors. Fresh Foods Market in Manzanit is proud to share Dom’s story and recognize National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October.
Dom is a utility clerk at Manzanita Fresh Foods, where he stocks shelves, keeps the grocery department running, and crushes cardboard in the baler like a pro. He’s also a big part of the Manzanita Fresh Foods team and why it works so well.
Dom’s path started in high school at Neah-Kah-Nie, where Oregon’s Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Victories program helped him build real-world skills, including grocery stocking at the local food bank. When Manzanita Fresh Foods was asked if we had work Dom could help with, we said yes.
We started small. Dom mastered his tasks quickly, so his hours grew, and so did his responsibilities. VR provided a job coach to help bridge the early transition, and the rest was all Dom.
“Every day he comes in with a positive attitude,” says Jon Welsh, CEO at Fresh Foods Market. “He’s a really quick study.”
Today, Dom’s paycheck has given him independence, including saving up for an RV of his own, so he has his own space with his family nearby. As Dom puts it, the job was “a perfect fit.”
“For us, it’s more than a good hire. Dom’s energy and skills have strengthened our culture, and we value what every team member brings. Our partnership with VR has been so rewarding that we’re looking to expanding it to our other locations,” added Welsh.
Watch the Business Spotlight on Manzanita Fresh Foods and see what makes our team special.
Learn more about National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), an annual recognition of the positive impact of people with disabilities in the American workforce. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/initiatives/ndeam
