If hunger was a US state, it would be the 2nd largest state, bigger than Texas and behind only California.
Kathleen & Jeff Baumgardner, FoCo Cafe
Restaurants that let you pay-what-you-can or pay-what-you-like offer a lifeline to a hot meal whose impact goes far beyond the food it provides. They welcome everyone regardless of ability to pay. Some pay a suggested price for their meal. Some pay more, some pay less, some pay none, but everybody eats.
What else happens here?
Dignity. At Kathleen and Jeff Baumgardner’s FoCo Cafe in Fort Collins, CO, they serve meals using mostly local, organic, and sustainably grown ingredients. If you can’t pay, you can volunteer your time instead. They call this “offering a hand up, not a hand out”.
Jamie Via, Given Coffee Co.
Safety. When school ends, the cafeteria closes. That’s why Jamie Via of Given Coffee Co. in Winston-Salem donates 100% of proceeds to help provide weeknight dinners for public school kids that need one.
Cheryl Laws, Cafe Appalachia
Hope. Cheryl Laws run Cafe Appalachia in South Charleston, WV. She’s helping women break the cycle of addition by providing prevention, treatment, and reintegration programs. In the café, they learn “how to grow food, prepare wholesome, nutritious meals and gain valuable skills and employment experiences”.
Leah Smutko, Fork & Spoon
Opportunity. It’s not so easy to find jobs sometimes. If you’re homeless or formerly incarcerated, the barriers to employment can seem unbeatable. Not so at Fork & Spoon in Bozeman, MT run by head chef Leah Smutko. She also runs a workforce development program and will give you a chance.
Community. The reality is almost all these restaurants still rely on regular volunteers to make this work. While they help people in need, they also provide volunteers a way to deliver personal impact and contribute to their local community.
Search for keyword #PWYC on Karmalize or use this link. Will you give these restaurants a try?