SAG HARBOR, NY – It was a lesson in celebrating diversity and inclusion recently as special education students from Pierson Middle School met the owner of South Fork Bakery, whose mission is to provide meaningful employment to people with special needs.
On Tuesday, the students met with Shirley Ruch, the owner of the business, as well as some of the employees.
South Fork Bakery, which operates out of Scoville Hall in Amagansett, was founded out of a need to create meaningful employment opportunities for adults with disabilities in the South Fork, according to Ruch.
Ruch, a speech and language pathologist in private practice in Sag Harbor for more than 30 years, specializes in working with children with autism. When Ruch realized that many of her former students, after graduating college or aging out of high school, faced a common problem of finding work, she founded South Fork Bakery in 2016. In 2018, the bakery became a non-profit organization. .
“South Fork Bakery also provides job skills training and support to build independence and confidence. Just as importantly, we provide a place where everyone feels welcome, valued, capable and happy among friends,” she told Patch in a previous interview. “We are proud to say that our employees have acquired these skills and worked in the restaurant industry. As the only business in the East End that employs and trains adults with developmental disabilities such as autism, autism spectrum, learning disabilities and Down syndrome, South Fork Bakery is instantly life-changing.”
The students who met with Ruch this week saw their horizons broadened, they all agreed.
“The students were incredibly excited about this trip,” explained Sag Harbor District trip supervisor and occupational therapist Tracy Evans. “This was a wonderful opportunity for our students to meet and observe other young adults living with disabilities and how they have found success and happiness working in an environment that supports and celebrates their differences.”
The students were given a private tour of the packing room, kitchen and warehouse led by Ruch.
During the tour, Ruch explained the process of making the delicious baked goods, as well as the mission and purpose of South Fork Bakery.
Currently, there are 16 adults with special needs who have found a community at South Fork Bakery, including a Pierson alum who has been with the bakery since day one, she said. The bakery supplies its products to more than 50 local stores, farms, farmers markets and festivals from Montauk to Syosset.
Students asked questions and had a “snack break” with chocolate brownies, mint brownies and blondies provided by Ruch.
“I think as a result of this trip the students felt a sense of belonging — and maybe a sense of value,” Evans said.
Sag Harbor UFSD special education teachers Megan Pastier and Justin Clinton, teaching assistants Erin White and Kendell Thommen and physical therapist Megan Lui worked with Evans to organize the field trip.
“Thanks to Ruch, the field trip gave students a glimpse into an environment where they could see others feel respected for who they are and valued for their contributions,” the district said.
