Since 1966, Jay Shop has been a place where purpose and productivity live together. We are a nonprofit vocational rehabilitation organization that runs a real manufacturing operation — and has for nearly six decades.
Jay Shop, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Pontiac, Michigan. We are not a typical charity, and we are not a typical manufacturer. We are something rarer: a workplace that holds both identities at once, and makes them work together.
Our manufacturing operations — centered on precision kitting for automotive supply chains — generate real revenue. That revenue helps sustain the vocational rehabilitation programs, wages, and employment opportunities that define our mission.
At the heart of everything we do is a simple belief: work is therapy. Meaningful, structured, productive work helps people with disabilities build confidence, independence, and dignity. It creates routine, purpose, and community connection — things that no amount of passive support can fully replace.
We also serve as a zero-barrier employer for Pontiac-area residents who face obstacles to traditional employment. Jay Shop opens doors. It always has.
This is not a tagline. It is the operating principle that guides every decision Jay Shop makes — from how we run our production floor to how we support the people who come through our doors.
Jay Shop was founded in 1966 with a conviction that still drives everything today: that individuals with disabilities deserve real work — not sheltered make-work, not passive programming, but actual productive employment with actual wages.
For decades, Jay Shop built that model quietly — growing its manufacturing capabilities, deepening its Pontiac roots, and expanding opportunity for the workers who needed it most. When Ford Motor Company came looking for a reliable Tier-1 kitting supplier, Jay Shop was ready. That partnership — now spanning more than 20 years — became the financial engine that made the mission self-sustaining.
Today, Jay Shop ships 3.4 million precision kits annually, employs more than 100 people across two Pontiac facilities, and provides vocational rehabilitation to 38 individuals with disabilities — more than double the number from just five years ago. The model works because the work is real.
Jay Shop's model serves very different groups — each with a distinct relationship to the mission.
Jay Shop delivers precision kitting services to automotive manufacturers — 3.4M+ kits annually, Tier-1 quality standards, 20+ years of Ford partnership. If you need dependable kitting capacity, let's talk.
MRS, BSBP, CMH, and other agencies refer individuals to Jay Shop for vocational rehabilitation through actual paid manufacturing work — not simulated tasks. View referral information.
Jay Shop's manufacturing revenue makes it unusually self-sufficient — your gift amplifies an already-functioning model rather than funding overhead. Support the mission.
Whether you want to donate, refer someone, discuss a business partnership, or simply visit the facility — we welcome you.