The Carpenter Woodshop
A place for people impacted by incarceration to build skills, confidence, and a better future.
Finding Work After Incarceration Shouldn’t Be So Hard
A steady job provides much more than a paycheque. It creates routine, confidence, purpose, relationships, and the stability someone needs to keep moving forward.
But for people returning to the community after incarceration, finding meaningful work is incredibly difficult. A criminal record, gaps in employment, limited experience, stigma, and a lack of supportive connections all stand between someone ready to work and an employer willing to give them an opportunity.
When those barriers pile up, rebuilding a stable life feels out of reach.
Practical Support for a Fresh Start
Since 1966, we have walked alongside people in prison and as they return to communities across British Columbia.
We know that rebuilding life after incarceration comes with real obstacles. People need practical opportunities to develop skills, rebuild confidence, form healthy relationships, and establish stability.
The Carpenter Woodshop is one way M2W2 helps people take that next step.
Work That Helps People Move Forward
The Woodshop is a low-barrier, hands-on environment where people impacted by incarceration can work alongside skilled volunteers and develop practical skills in woodworking and general labour. Teaching, encouragement, mentoring, and community grow naturally through shared work.
Products built and restored in the shop are sold to the public, supporting the Woodshop while giving participants the satisfaction of creating something useful.
“We believe this space will become a hub of hope, healing, and hands-on learning—a place where people from all walks of life come together to build not only useful things, but also confidence, dignity, and trust.”
— Arnie Melissen, Former M2W2 Board Chair
Four Ways You Can Get Involved
Browse Products
Shop handcrafted and restored products made through The Carpenter Woodshop. Your purchase supports the program and the people gaining experience there.
Commission a Project
Have a woodworking project or contract the Woodshop could take on? Give participants meaningful hands-on experience while building something useful.
Give Today
The Carpenter Woodshop depends on community support to provide tools, materials, mentorship, and meaningful work opportunities for people rebuilding their lives.
Attend the Open House
Come see the newly renovated Woodshop for yourself, meet the people behind it, enjoy food and activities, and discover what this space will make possible.
See The Carpenter Woodshop in Action
After months of renovations and preparation, The Carpenter Woodshop is finally ready for action!
We’re opening the doors and inviting the community to celebrate with us on Nov 19 at 5:00 pm in Chilliwack. Join us for an Open House featuring BBQ chicken, a showcase of products that the Woodshop will produce, activities, and a story wall that shares why this work matters.
Come see the space, meet the community behind it, and get a firsthand look at what’s being built.
A Job Helps Change What Comes Next
Leaving incarceration without stable employment, supportive relationships, or a sense of direction makes an already difficult transition even harder. Without that stability, more than half of people leaving incarceration return to destructive habits and are reconvicted within two years.
The Carpenter Woodshop helps create another path: a place to show up, learn practical skills, develop healthy work habits, build confidence, and experience the dignity that comes from meaningful work.
And you can help make that opportunity possible.
Browse the Woodshop catalogue or give today. Proceeds and donations support The Carpenter Woodshop, its ongoing work, and the people gaining experience there.
