Rowan Tree Collective

08/29/2026

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08/29/2026

How is it September next week?!
We’ve been trying to squeeze all of the summer out of the last few days of August! That means we’ve been bbqing (even when it’s raining!). Do you remember when our BBQ got stolen last year and Alex and Vince Mirabelli, Broker at REMAX First Choice Realty Ltd bought us a new one? Boy we’ve enjoyed that BBQ this summer! We had souvlaki and Greek salad on the menu this week, and cheeseburgers too. Of course we make these things from scratch - that’s how our Life Skills programming and in house lunch program go hand in hand! We don’t eat everything we make…it is our pleasure every week to make sandwiches by the box full for our neighbours at the Dew Drop Inn Thunder Bay. And of course you can’t cook without cleaning so we work that into our Life Skills programming too!
Also because summer is ending we had to say good bye (and happy birthday) to our fabulous summer student Olivia - she’s a total star and we wish her an excellent year back at University!

08/15/2026

Here we go …. Link is now open for our next Product with Purpose Pop Up Sale - pick up is Thursday August 20th between 12 and 4 at the Rowan Tree Collective at 280 Park Avenue.
We have all of our usual varieties of bread and pizza available from the All Hands Bakery - by Rowan Tree - plus the return of the sell out fave Double Chocolate Cherry Sourdough! Ginger cookies, granola and hummus are being made as part of our Life Skills programming at the Collective! Your purchase helps us to practise our kitchen skills and generates funds for our programming. If you’re scrolling around our shop options, you’ll notice a few new products. Some are from Community Partners like Jeff at Brule Creek Farms and Tom at Cronos Cafe but others are from our own store room! People have been asking for us to dig into our merch supply that we usually only sell at our Christmas Bazaar so we thought we’d add those items here (shout out to Renée for counting and entering all of those items!). So if you’re looking for t-shirts, hats or cookbooks keep scrolling!
Thanks as always for your support!
We appreciate you!
Orders close Monday August 17th at midnight.
Link in the comments below!

08/15/2026

We love a good theme week at the Rowan Tree Collective! From Tropical Week to Scotland Week we’ve had good some fun centering all of our programming around a cool theme. This was the first time we did a Camping Theme Week and it was a hoot! Of course this week’s menu featured camp culinary delights like hot dogs and blueberry pancakes! The current fire ban didn’t stop us from making oven s’mores or having a pseudo campfire singalong with our friend Dave! A trip to Mission Marsh Conservation area was a definite highlight - we picnicked, went on a scavenger hunt and played lawn games. Our members also had fun adopting camping themed nicknames for the week - here’s looking at you River Eagle and Pine Meadow!
Enjoy your weekend everyone - we hope it’s nature filled!

08/12/2026

Not our usual post.
A few of our members are navigating recent losses - a beloved pet, an uncle, a grandparent. It’s so important to have community to share these life events. There have been some beautiful and supportive conversations among our members in the past week. We’re happy to provide that safe space for people to share their grief and talk about their emotions. Community is so important and the Collective is all about that. New to the Collective is Ginger - a sweet addition to the Rowan Tree team. We don’t know Ginger’s exact “breed” but Ginger is a weighted stuffie and she’s quickly become very popular. Weighted blankets or weighted plush toys can provide some deep pressure stimulation and deep pressure can help lower cortisol levels and have a calming, comforting effect on the nervous system.
Welcome Ginger!
♥️ 🐶 ❤️

08/09/2026

On Friday we had another successful Products with Purpose Pop Up Sale!

It’s such a rewarding day to see the efforts of the week all come together and be passed off to our beautiful, supportive customers. Each week our Rowan Tree Crew becomes more proficient and efficient at producing our cookies, hummus and granola as part of our Life Skills programming. And our All Hands employees work alongside bakery staff to make and package frozen pizzas and label and package bread with confidence and pride. Each sale, we see a combination of repeat customers who are dedicated and never miss a sale (we have so much gratitude for you!) and new customers we’ve never met before (we’re so excited to meet you!). Some of you are long standing customers of Derek and Sue’s Both Hands products and some of you are Rowan Tree super fans. We appreciate you all.

Some may think our new way of doing business is a bit strange but we think it’s mindful and innovative. By offering our products in a limited, and controlled pre-sale manner we can position ourselves to support our programming goals of teaching life skills in an inclusive and encouraging environment. We’re still working towards creating more employment opportunities for adults with disabilities and that means we need to make our products in an intentional and predictable way that best supports our members in becoming employees. This practise avoids the fluctuating high-volume rush and slow hours of a mainstream bakery or restaurant environment, thus creating more stable learning conditions. Offering hot pizza take out opportunities based on this same model is allowing us to grow future employment opportunities.
So thanks for your support. Your purchases, whether you’re a regular, a newcomer or a sometimes customer all contribute to what we hope will be a successful model for everyone!

If you don’t have dinner plans this Wednesday, it’s not too late to order hot, woodfired pizza to go with pick up directly from All Hands Bakery - by Rowan Tree between 4 and 7. Space is limited. Orders close at midnight Sunday. Link in the comments below

08/07/2026

Everyone has their summer rituals and this is one of ours - riding the big bike at Waverly Park! Rowan’s long time pal Mara is a dedicated Rowan Tree volunteer AND if that weren’t enough, she and her family have been bringing their big bike in for us to tour around our favourite park space every summer. AND if THAT weren’t enough…this year they treated us to Prospector Burger Barn lunch. Days don’t get much sunnier than this. Lots of smiles, lots of laughs. We’re so blessed by the friendship and generosity of some of the kindest hearts.
Thanks to Mara and the Hockenhull family for a fabulous afternoon!
**and special shout out to our very own Bry who earned herself a gold medal in kamikaze bike touring 🤪

08/06/2026

08/05/2026

Did anyone else have a Tuesday that felt like a Monday?
We knew it was Tuesday because we made stacks of sammies and headed to the library. Thats our Tuesday thing! We love our neighbourhood! And…we love making the most of summer by walking out in the community - to the Dew Drop Inn Thunder Bay, Waverly Thunder Bay Public Library or Waverly Park.
Give us a wave if you see us out and about!

08/02/2026

We might be enjoying the long weekend now but our partnership with All Hands Bakery - by Rowan Tree means we’re going to be busy this week! In preparation for the Friday August 7th Pop Up Sale we’ll be making granola, cookies and hummus during our Life Skills programming. Making these products give us an opportunity to practise key skills like following a recipe, measuring, weighing, team work skills and of course, kitchen hygiene skills. Couple that with a full line of gourmet frozen pizzas and some artisan sourdough bread coming out of the wood fired oven at the bakery and we’ve got ourselves a Products with Purpose Pop Up Sale!
Orders close Monday August 3 at 5pm, link in the comments below!