When an oil deliveryman leaves, he'll leave behind a bag filled with the bill for the customer... and something extra. A treat for the customer's dog.
These dog biscuits are baked up twice weekly by intellectually challenged young adults who work side by side with volunteers. This, a company created by two mothers of challenged daughters.
Mary Ann Nolan from Waggies by Maggie and Friends says, "As they approached the age where they would be going out looking for a job we found that the job market is very bleak for people with disabilities so we started our own company."
The company is called Waggies by Maggie and Friends. Maggie works with her mom at a church, which donates the kitchen space. Maggie prefers doing her job, rather than talking about it, but not Laura Elizabeth Scott, who loves the job she's held there since the company began two years ago.
Laura tells us, "We roll and cut and we put them on the trays for the bones."
Burns and McBride has been the first big company to deliver not only it's product, but these doggie treats because the folks who run this family owned business knew it was a doggone good idea.
Terry McBride says, "They're good folks and they're doing good work and we wanted to try to help if we can."
The oil company could have donated money to these intellectually disabled young people, but instead Burns and McBride ordered 161,000 doggie bones... giving meaningful work while getting a great marketing tool.
As for why the moms choose to create a dog biscuit company.
"We kinda thought what would be a good population to target and dog owners are generally really nice people."
Customers without dogs are encouraged to be really nice by giving their dog treats away. Waggies by Maggie and Friends are also sold in select stores and through the Internet. You can visit them online at www.waggies.org.
