Toronto's new donut purveyor is doing good in the world and Jagmeet Singh is a fan
You can actually now do some good in Toronto by stuffing your face with donuts, and one of the best parts is, Jagmeet Singh highly encourages it.
"I've been blown away by this spot right here, Do Good Donuts," Singh said on his Instagram story, shouting out the donut maker which regularly sets up at Leslieville Farmers Market.
By buying their donuts, you're helping support them in their mission of training youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities for mainstream food service jobs within the community.
The project was founded by Melanie Cote, whose daughter Alma was diagnosed with Williams Syndrome, a genetic syndrome, when she was five months old.
In the six years of Alma's life, Cote has only seen a single young person with a visual intellectual disability working in her Toronto neighbourhood.
Alma dreams of becoming a doctor or working at Starbucks. Cote was inspired by her daughter to create a non-profit social enterprise hiring young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilites for on-the-job training at a donut shop.
Do Good Donuts launched at Leslieville Farmers Market on May 16, selling out their first day.
"Jagmeet was touring the market one day and popped by to say hello," Cote tells blogTO.
"He was so taken with our mission and our amazing donuts that he immediately posted on his Instagram stories and later gave us a shout-out for 'Small Business Saturday.'"
They do sprinkle, chocolate dip and cinnamon donuts, as well as specials like mint chocolate ($4 for a single donut, $22 for a half dozen).
There are also cookies ($2.50) in triple chocolate, chocolate chip, sugar, oatmeal and ginger snap varieties. They also make merch, and there are even donuts for dogs.
Do Good often sells out, but you can preorder for pickup via their website.
"We currently have three young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities on staff. They work both in our baking kitchens and in our farmer's market tent," says Cote.
"All three are become more confident serving customers, using our ordering system to input orders and make change, something all three said in their interviews that they were nervous they wouldn't be able to do."
Do Good Donuts is in a pilot phase at the market, and is currently doing a fundraiser that's close to reaching its $12,500 goal. The pilot phase will end Oct. 31.
"My hope is that we'll be able to raise the funds we'll need to open a bricks-and-mortar location so people can enjoy our baked goods and trainees can work with us 12 months of the year," says Cote.
By buying their delicious donuts, you can help support this incredible dream. Now that's what you call a win-win.
Jagmeet Singh
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