Kindred Voices: Charlotte and Melinda

“Charlotte is 31. She’s been involved in the Kindred program for the last two years, this summer she started working at the Children’s Museum pop-up. Thinking about it this morning brought me to tears. I’m so proud of her. " - Melinda, Charlotte's Mom

Melinda and Charlotte

"Charlotte’s always been so dependent, needing someone to tell her the next step. But now [after participating with Kindred] she’s more confident, more independent, more able to speak up for herself. 

She’s stepping up and becoming an adult at 31 in ways I wasn’t sure were going to happen. She has very curly, thick hair and now brushes her hair, puts it in a pony because she knows it looks good, and she knows she has to have it back for the bakery. With Kindred she’s discovered that she actually really likes managing the cash register, something I never would have thought she could do. "

Charlotte’s favorite things to bake are cinnamon buns and mini lemon loaves. 🍋

This is what Charlotte wants to do now. She wants to be a baker, have her own bakery, and create all her own recipes. She loves the baking, the people, and she’s even trying new foods, which is huge for her.

I’m 62 years old, and I was beginning to doubt that I would ever be able to imagine her being independent. But watching her growth through Kindred is allowing me to imagine a different life for both of us. It’s pretty huge.” - Melinda, Charlotte's Mom

Melinda, Charlotte's Mom being interviewed by Emma

Kindred Voices is a series of profiles of Kindred Bakery BK's program participants and their family members.

Donate today to help us open more doors, train more young people, and keep our inclusive kitchen thriving. https://www.kindredbakerybk.org/donate

Thank you to Caroline Emma Moore and Adam Nemcsek for supporting this series.