Tucked around the corner from the offices above the Vinnies store in Newtown is the long-running, highly successful altar bread kitchen, which has been producing communion breads for the last 30 years.

The kitchen, run by Ngareta Mason, employs six people with intellectual disabilities to produce up to two million small breads a year, as well as a range of other sizes and types of bread. Producing around 50% of the orders from Catholic churches across New Zealand, the programme represents a significant part of the altar bread supply in the country as well as a fantastic employment opportunity for people with intellectual disabilities.

The first stage of the process involves putting the dough into the mould, before baking it in the Italian-made press – this is run by Victor, who has been with the programme for around 20 years. For Victor, the social side of the programme, from cooperating with the team to interacting with the other staff in the Newtown office, is the highlight of working there. Once baked, the breads are sorted into bags and any duds are removed. The teamwork between Victor and his colleagues is evident, notably with Donna and Karin, who have been with the altar bread team for roughly the same amount of time.

For both Donna and Karin, whose roles involve cutting and sorting the breads, the wage they earn has provided a substantial boost to the benefits they receive from Work and Income (WINZ), and has allowed them to save for holidays – Karin has used some of her earnings to use on a family holiday. Donna says that the wages she has received over the last 12 years have made a noticeable difference to her spending ability compared to when she was volunteering for the programme in the previous years.

Supporting the business are organisations such as Community Connections, EVARO, and IDEA (a part of IHC), who contact Ngareta with the details of people looking for work. Anna, from IHC, also helps out in the altar bread team a few days a week, to ensure the process runs smoothly. Having connections to organisations that are invested in finding employment for people with disabilities means that programmes such as Vinnies’ altar bread team are always fully equipped, while new clients always have options to work in areas that suit their skills and interests.

Two new employees who joined last year have added some youth to the team, and Ngareta says that she always tries to ensure there is a place for anyone interested in making altar breads. Anna notes there is a rising number of people with intellectual disabilities looking for work, and that while over 30 workplaces are partnered to their programme, IDEA is always looking for more.

Research into people with disabilities in the workforce is ongoing, and Stats NZ’s Household Labour Force Survey regularly updates the statistics. The June 2018 survey found that only 25% of people with disabilities are in the workforce, compared with 73% of non-disabled people. Furthermore, 40% of disabled people have no school qualification, compared to 16% of non-disabled people, and the underutilisation of people with disabilities isn’t improving. Programmes such as IDEA, which focuses on supported living and employment opportunities, are therefore key in the struggle to strengthen workforce participation for people with intellectual disabilities.

Paid work also plays a crucial factor in allowing those receiving disability allowances from WINZ to live more comfortably. While the average income per week for those with disabilities was $358 in 2018 compared to $712 for those without disabilities, expanding opportunities for people with disabilities to include professional and administration roles will hopefully increase that figure. IDEA’s work in building relationships with accredited employers is a great step towards this.

For the altar bread team at Vinnies, new staff, new technology, and new income have brought minor changes to the process, but otherwise it’s business as usual, with bags of bread always stacking up on the shelves to be sent nationwide.

Wellington Manager John says that the origin of the programme was to develop a Special Work for the Society that provided a place for people with an intellectual disability to go for companionship, socialisation and meaningful activity. He says the program has gone above and beyond its original mission and now also provides paid, supported employment for those in the team as well.

*since this article was published, Ngareta Mason has moved on to a new adventure in England. The Altar Bread team is now supervised by Heather Chase: altarbread@vinnieswgtn.org.nz