Due to safety concerns for our patrons, it was decided to temporarily suspend the Pay It Forward Cafe (PIF Cafe) program for the upcoming winter months (January – March). During this time, Community Ambassadors will replace the program with a new outreach, called Box Runners.
Every Saturday, PIF Cafe serves approximately 60-80 prepared, sit-down meals at New Life Fellowship church on 5994 Ridge Road. This outreach has proven over the years to be an effective way of connecting with and caring for local residents who are either food-insecure or lack a connection to the community elsewhere.
Many of these patrons walk or take the bus to get to the Cafe, so ensuring their safety is always a concern for us. At our current location, parking is extremely limited and there is the potential that patrons would have to walk unsafe distances in the cold or snow to get to the Cafe.
Through Box Runners, though, we hope to minimize these safety concerns, yet continue to engage residents who not only need food, but also need that “social connection” during the dreary winter months. On a bi-weekly basis, we will be sending out “runners” to deliver prepared meals in, you guessed it, boxes. For those that are able to pick up food boxes, however, we will also distribute boxes at the Han Madang United Methodist Church on 7800 W. Pleasant Valley Rd.
Additionally, this program will allow us to continue making use of the various food items we collect each week from local restaurants and food establishments who donate their unused or leftover foods to us.
Please pray for us as we work through the logistics of this new endeavor. It’s not just about the food. In all that we do, our greatest hope is that people will be introduced to the love of Christ!
