Our Mission
We are a social purpose cafe and catering business located in downtown Toronto, within the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). We serve breakfast, lunch, and a variety of wholesome snacks—think healthy soups, vibrant salads, and freshly baked muffins.
Growth From Employment
We provide supportive jobs to individuals with lived experience of mental health and addiction, homelessness, trauma, gender-based violence, the criminal justice system, and displacement as refugees.
Conscientious Choices Everyday
From eco-friendly packaging to ethically sourced ingredients, we commit to sustainability at every step—nourishing people and the planet alike.
Flavour with Purpose
We serve high-quality, nutrient-dense, and affordable meals made with care proving that purpose and taste belong on the same plate.
Rooted in Resilience
Between 1994 and 2002, Out of This World (OTW) operated under CAMH’s Vocational Resource Centre (VRC), providing individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges the opportunity to gain valuable skills and meaningful employment. In a transformative step forward, OTW transitioned to Working for Change which elevated its professional standards while staying committed to the community.
Led by Lived Experience
We are guided by a double bottom line: running a sustainable business while advancing a mental health–informed mission. We aren’t just built for people with lived experience, we’re built by them. With representation from the mental health institutionalized community on our Board of Directors, OTW is the first lived experience–run organization to operate within a hospital.
Heart of the Cafe
Our success stems from the dedication of our staff. Many have been with OTW since its early days in 1997, united by a shared commitment to healing, growth, quality food, and exceptional customer service that keeps our community coming back. Today, we stand as a powerful example of how psychiatric institutions and lived experience–driven organizations can come together to create inclusive employment and deliver exceptional food services.
30-40%
of Canadians have lived experiences with mental illness.
90%
Of Canadians with serious mental illnesses are unemployed.
$50B
Is the annual cost of mental illness in Canada.
Working For Change
Out of This World is proudly operated by Working for Change, a social enterprise leader born from community need. Founded in 1993 formerly known as Ontario Council for Alternative Businesses (OCAB), Working for Change was created in response to calls from the psychiatric community for meaningful employment opportunities with roots in the psychiatric survivor and Mad Pride movements. Today, it serves as an umbrella organization for three Toronto-based businesses—The Raging Spoon, Parkdale Green Thumb Enterprises, and Out of This World Café—all committed to employing individuals living with mental health challenges. OTW has the largest number of employees of the three businesses, driving healing and impact.