I had lunch recently at a cafe in Bethlehem; half a grilled cheese and a cup of orzo soup. It was delicious. There was a suggested price of $7, but I could've paid anything for it, including nothing. I didn't pay nothing. I paid to support the mission of Essentials Cafe, located at 418 3rd Avenue. I hope you would consider doing the same, maybe a couple times per month.
There were several people lunching there, and not all of them fit what might seem to be the standard identity of someone needing "free lunch." "Food security strikes people working across a wide economic spectrum," says Dawn Fenner, Executive Director and the major force behind the creation of the cafe. You can have a family of four with someone making $16 an hour, and they barely have enough for meals and sometimes don't have enough. It's a major problem.
And that's exactly why Essentials, a breakfast and lunch spot, exists. Dawn was at a Moravian Women's meeting in Milwaukee a few years ago and heard about a church-sponsored cafe that offered free and reduced food. She brought the idea back to Bethlehem, fundraising and grant writing began, and now Essentials is humming along in its second year.
There are 120 volunteers and three paid positions. One of those paid positions is chef. "You can't open a cafe and serve only good vibrations. You've gotta have good food," says Dawn. The day I lunched, they had two soups, a couple sandwiches, and the heartier meals of pork loin and lasagna.
Breakfast is another important element in the equation, and breakfast starts with coffee. As of a couple weeks ago, they had served 5,000 cups of it from a local shop Toasted and Roasted. For a while, Vic's Bagels supplied free bagels. In the growing season, a garden outside and a garden in another section of town produce tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, and other essentials for Essentials.
At the time I talked to Dawn a couple weeks ago, the numbers were these: 8,836 meals served. Of that, about 3,600 people paid nothing or less than the suggested price. That means that 40% of the people coming in really need this service. There have been perhaps a few cases of people taking advantage, and Dawn had to institute a limit on how many entrees could be consumed, but it's not a problem. It also means that 60% of the people coming in pay more than the suggested amount. They really want to help. And Dawn sets her yearly budget based on that 40-60 breakdown. In this time of economic uncertainty, charitable groups and nonprofits can't count on much grant, federal, or state money.
Essentials also has a program called the Wooden Nickle. There's a jar at the counter; pay $12, take a Wooden Nickle, and pay it forward for a diner who is not able to pay for a meal. There's also information on the website — essentialscafe.org — about a to-go fundraiser; two available entrees, two available sizes. Order for yourself, or order it and give it to someone in need.
There's one other way to help: volunteer. Dawn puts the estimate of community volunteer hours at 4,700 over the past year. And remember, it's not always the glamorous triumphant meals shown on the food network. There's a need for dishwashing, bathroom cleaning, floor sweeping, sidewalk shoveling, and lawn mowing.
The cafe is part of a network of pay-what-you-can cafes called One World, Everybody Eats. Yes, it's sad that in the richest nation on Earth, there is a need for that. But you've heard it before, and look around, you know it's true. Please consider visiting the Essentials Cafe; 418 3rd Avenue in Bethlehem.
