​Fresh Roots Café and Catering provides a supportive setting where people with lived mental health experience work under the guidance of CMHA staff to learn cooking and catering skills. While many people living with a mental illness are typically excluded from the mainstream economy, participants in this CMHA program receive an income as they prepare nutritious foods, make and sell homemade jams and sauces from CMHA’s gardens and provide catering services to the community. The initiative was designed to build food skills, reduce social isolation, and increase access to healthy food, while connecting people to other community-based resources including health, legal, and housing services.