The story below is from our November/December 2022 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Roanoke’s first donate-what-you-can café opened its doors on Jefferson St. this summer.
Courtesy of Ursula’s Cafe
Customers getting ready to enjoy a hearty meal.
After seeing the toll the pandemic was having on their community, Ami Trowell and her husband Jordan Fallon knew they wanted to find a way to give back to their neighbors in need. Having both spent time working in restaurants since they were teenagers, feeding people seemed like a natural place to start. “We wanted to be able to offer folks delicious food and comfort, something more than just a warm meal,” says Trowell. “We wanted to create a space that would feed not just bodies, but souls and minds too.”
Ursula’s Café is Roanoke’s only donate-what-you-can restaurant, and its structure is what really sold the couple on the idea, as “it calls on the whole community to contribute what they have to offer so that everyone can thrive.”
Their weekly menu consists of a vegan chili, a second soup and a salad made with fresh greens as well as some sweet treats and drink options. Suggested donation amounts are assigned to all items on the menu, but what diners ultimately end up paying is up to them. “If you can donate more, that donation will cover someone who cannot donate anything,” explains Trowell. “You can also volunteer an hour in the café for a meal if you would like to.”
As Ursula’s continues to grow, they hope to engage with the community in other ways. “In addition to the café food offerings during the [day], we are also trying to cultivate more community arts programming during the evenings,” shares Trowell. Soul Sessions has kicked things off by meeting at the café every Wednesday.
For Trowell, the most rewarding part of operating the café has been creating meaningful connections with her fellow Roanokers. “One of our goals is really to approach care for our community in a way that connects us with each other,” she says. “We value relationships and finding ways that we can all contribute what we can to make our community and our world a better place for all people who live here.”
To learn more about this unique approach to feeding our community, visit ursulascafe.org. Weekly menu offerings and upcoming events can be found on the Ursula’s Café Facebook page.
The story below is from our November/December 2022 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!