KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — "We have employees who have been here more than 50 years, we have employees who have been here more than 40 years, we have employees who have been here more than 20 years," said Community Opportunities Board Member Mary Hodges. "This has been a massive part of their life. "
Since 1969, the Community Opportunities Sheltered Workshop in Kirksville has provided opportunities for individuals with disabilities to give back to their community.
In June 2023, there were reports that the workshop was struggling financially, which led up to Jan. 10 of this year when the board announced operations were shutting down to financial straits.
"Everything has gone up, (due to) inflation," Hodges said. "Our utility prices went up. A large portion of our business model currently was wrapped into recycling and it employed a lot of our people. The borrowing bottom kind of fell out of the recycling industry."
Before ceasing operations, the sheltered workshop employed around 50 workers, a majority of whom have disabilities.
Workers provided several services including recycling, car detailing and other things to help the community.
Board members say the business was never intended to make a profit, but rather, to provide employment to individuals with disabilities.
Now, due to a variety of factors, the organization is not able to continue operation.
"Unfortunately, we just weren't able to keep things going and so we came to kind of a crunch point where we said, okay, we have to suspend operations right now until we until we figure something else out," Hodges said.
If the sheltered workshop can't find a solution, it will have to shut down permanently, which could be devastating for the individuals it employees.
Not only did it provide them work, it also gave them a home away from home that helped workers feel like they were part of the community.
"Not just for the job and the paycheck, but for the sense of community and involvement and togetherness and, we had holiday parties and birthday parties and I think it's safe to say that it was vital to them," Hodges added.
The board of directors will be meeting on Friday, Jan. 19, to discuss the best path going forward. Board members tell KTVO News that the future of Community Opportunities is unclear.
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