Published: November 20, 2008 12:24 pm      

ALBION: Food samples, crafts and basket raffle will be available.

The Mental Health Association in Orleans County will host an open house to educate and inform the public about mental illness. The Taste of MHA will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 13, at the MHA offices, 438 West Ave. The event will offer food tasting from the MHA cookbook, a craft sale and basket raffle.

“The members have put a lot of time and effort into this and trying to break the stigma,” MHA Director Cheryl Johnson said. “Everyone has someone in their family or a friend who was diagnosed. We want people to understand that it is pretty common and it’s OK.”

MHA began in 1990. According to Johnson, it was designed to bring awareness and dispel the stigma of mental illness. In 2004, the social club was formed to provide a safe environment for mental illness. The program’s drop-in center is offered every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from noon to 7 p.m. at the MHA offices.

“The idea is they find someone who understands what they are going through,” Johnson said. “They check up on each other. It really is a caring group of people.”

The only requirement for the drop-in center and social club is people must be 18 years of age or older and live in Orleans County. Those interested do not have to be diagnosed with mental illness. The center and programs are free, however Johnson said that if people are interested in joining the social club, there is a small fee, which pays for a hot meal and allows people to hold office in the group. The group then holds a business meeting once a month.

“Some members are in their 20s,” Johnson said. “A couple are in their 70s. The likeliness to find someone to make a friend is pretty good.”

As part of the social club, group speakers talk about safety, nutrition, health and more. Every Monday from 2 to 3 p.m. a stress management group is held. From 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. every other Wednesday, a peer-led group on spirituality and depression is held. Johnson said that a new depression group, for people who work during the day, will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays.

She said that club members also take group outings twice a month, have parties and play bingo. The group also makes crafts, which Johnson said is very therapeutic.

Newly hired coordinator Jacklyn Taylor oversees the daily cooking and speaks to members on healthy eating, diabetes, the food pyramid and how to cook and shop healthy at home. Members of the group also sign up to help Taylor cook, and this created the Cookbook that the open house will feature. People who attend the open house will get the opportunity to taste foods from the MHA Cookbook or purchase the book for $7. Crafts that members have made will also be for sale.

Currently, transportation is offered through the peers of the program, but Johnson said they recently received a grant from state Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, which will allow them to purchase a 12-passenger van.

“We’re pretty excited about that,” Johnson said. “We’ll provide transportation from the center.”

As MHA director, Johnson has two goals for the future. One is to reach out more to the families of the men and women who serve overseas in the military. She said that she really wants a support group to help them with what they are going through. Her other goal is to find a bigger space that is affordable and can allow them to work with the community and area more.

MHA focuses on education, a resource library, referral services, advocacy and a member-driven drop-in center. For more information, call 589-1158.