Air Date: October 25, 2018
The bakery is buzzing. Cookies, muffins and pastries are coming out of the oven. The Mi Cookie Project – founded by retired Special Ed teacher Maggie Gibson is open for business.
Maggie: Well I taught for 40 years, 20 of those years were in a commercial bakery.
Mitch: Special Education in a commercial bakery?
Maggie: Correct. I discovered that a lot of our students after the age of 26 didn’t have a lot available for them and I wanted to offer opportunities with a purpose. Everybody has a talent whether you have an intellectual disability or not.
Four days a week Maggie and her team of bakers who are either intellectually challenged or on the Autism spectrum take and fill orders for their sweet toothed customers.
Mitch: What was your first cookies that you made?
Maggie: Oh chocolate chip
Mitch: You can’t go wrong with chocolate chip
Maggie: Nope and now we are making probably on a busy day 40 dozen.
The dozens of cookies and treats are being sold at Farmers Markets and community events – fulfilling Maggie’s life long dreams.
Maggie: Seeing my students grow and become independent which is what’s happening here with the bakery and besides giving a purpose to our folks is to teach the community that people with disabilities can work.
It’s lots of fun. We have a lot of fun.
Doing what she loves to do with a community of people she loves to do it with, Maggie Gibson is baking sweet treats for the soul, right here in the heart of Detroit.
