On Friday, March 4, the EcoNuts, student workers promoting sustainability, volunteered at a local restaurant, One Acre Café. EcoNuts was there to help with staffing because of the restaurant’s cause and because we wanted to help, which we did with enthusiasm.
The café is unique in that no matter what, everyone can have a meal, even if they have dietary restrictions, since the café offers gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options, or can’t pay for it.
As a non-profit, it are run almost entirely by volunteers. It is a local organization under the national One World Everybody Eats cafes, a community kitchen, and it has been making sure of just that since August 2, 2012.
After enjoying a lovely meal that feels like home cooking, it is time to pay. The founders of the café, Jan and Bryan Orchard, Beverly Jenkins and Michelle Watts understand that not everyone has the money to buy food, so they took that into their own hands.
At the end of your meal, you can donate the suggested amount of $5 for a small, $7 for a medium or $9 for a large to the kitchen, or you can pay it forward and buy some meals for others. If you don’t have money for either, you can pay with your time by volunteering as a server.
The cafe does not keep the money. They use it to buy more food and keep the cycle of caring and kindness going.
According to Ashley Cavender, the volunteer and development coordinator for the One Acre Cafe, its goal is to “treat everyone with dignity and respect while [nourishing them].”
The cafe is located at 603 W. Walnut Street, Johnson City, and is open every weekday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
