The Awenda program provides high-quality programs for males with a serious mental illness or who may be dually diagnosed. Highly structured daily activities are aimed at decreasing risk, eliminating suffering and increasing quality of life while teaching and promote socially acceptable behaviours.

A recent addition to the list of activities involves vermiculture, a process that uses worms to convert organic waste into nutrient-rich compost for plants.

“This allows patients to contribute to the green initiative, feel involved in new experiences and reap the rewards of the work they have done,” said Employment Specialist Vittoria Trainer.

Staff collect unused food from patient trays and freeze it in containers. Patients who come to Vocational Services for programs on Wednesdays and Thursdays feed the scraps to the worms. The resulting worm poop is then donated to improve the soil of the garden beds on Awenda A and B.

Trainer said she appreciates the staff who make the project possible.

“We couldn’t do it without them,” she said. “Their assistance allows the patients to not only have a job which they enjoy, but it provides the bait for the fishing program the patients are able to enjoy down by the bay, and it also produces wholesome vermicompost to enhance the gardens.”