Meet Freddy – our long-term client! Freddy looks forward to Wednesdays every week as he has the opportunity to cook for his mum and the whole family with the support of his support worker, Joanne.
The master chef lives with his mum, older sister, and brother in Casino and has been receiving the support of Momentum Collective for the past three years. Fred lives with an intellectual disability and since his mother developed dementia, his older sister has taken on the primary caretaker role in the house. With Fred’s big heart, he saw this as an opportunity to step up and contribute where he could for his mum and sister.
One day Fred asked Joanne if he could start cooking dinners for his mum every week. Since then, the pair have been rolling with a cooking class ever since, mastering delicious and authentic food.
Three years into Fred’s tailored program, he is now working on a four-week menu with his support worker, covering a range of exotic meals he brings home such as famous lasagne, Moroccan lemon chicken, and bangers in mash.
“I love cooking for my mum. She doesn’t have a favourite, she loves all the meals I cook for her”, says Freddy with a cheeky smile on his face.
“Fred’s confidence has blossomed since he started the cooking lessons. He has increased his knife skills and now calls himself a chef. Fred can grocery shop somewhat independently now, and he likes to tick each food item off the list. He can even self-checkout at the register!” says Jo proud of Fred’s achievements.
Joanne has first-hand watched Fred’s journey grow and blossom from day one of supporting him, and when asked how delighted she was for Fred and his plans for the future; the tears in her eyes said it all.
“You are going to make me cry. I am very proud of Fred! Het is one of the biggest success stories I have personally seen. He has come an outstandingly long way since we first started working together. I love witnessing how motivated he is every week when cooking for his family, and seeing how big his heart is” says Joanne.
“Fred’s confidence has blossomed since he started the cooking lessons. He has increased his knife skills and now calls himself a chef” – Support Worker, Joanne.
If you are looking for support and want to find out more about our Empower and programs please call our friendly team on 1300 900 091.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live and work, and pay respect to Ancestors, Elders both past, present and the emerging Jarjums.
