Heart & Flour: Equal Needs Bakery opens in Lincoln

LINCOLN, Ill. (WAND) - Heart & Flour Bakery started as just a dream for Kelly Jo Carter.

She knew her daughter, Kennedy, who has autism and is non-verbal, likely would not be able to find a job once she aged out of high school. Carter told WAND in January that her dream was to open a bakery where Kennedy could work after she completed school. 

"Kennedy, since she is on the spectrum, she really thrives with that structure," Carter said. "After school, there's not really a lot of programs out there for her, so we had to find something to give her that structure and that routine to keep going and give her a purpose and a job." 

In a span of eight months, Carter was able to get a building and launch Heart & Flour: Equal Needs Bakery. The facility is designed to be accessible for a variety of people, including those in wheelchairs and with limb differences. 

Carter's goal was to create a space where anyone could feel empowered to work and do their best. Alexis Collins is one of the people benefiting from the bakery. She has felt at home in her time volunteering there. 

"I didn't really have a plan for after high school, so Kelly has given me the experience of having something after high school," Collins said. "This has come to be something where I want to maybe open my own bakery someday or do something for special ed kids because there may be people who don't know what they are going to do after high school." 

Carter said she could not have opened the space so quickly if it had not been for the support of the community alongside her. 

Since the business is new, they do not have a set schedule figured out yet. The best way to get updates is through their Facebook page. The new building is located at 527 Woodlawn Road in Lincoln. 

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