BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Everything was at Essentials Café on Giving Tuesday.
There was nutritious food to nourish the body and the soul.
There was healthy homemade soups one might describe as internal shawls to blunt the November chill.
And there was crumble-topped blueberry muffins, other desserts, juices, soft drinks, coffee and tea.
Ten volunteers at the ready, all eager to serve community neighbors in need of a free meal and second helpings of smiles.
There was everything but customers in need.
“Today is our soft opening, and we haven’t advertised much yet, so that’s probably the reason,” said Dawn Fenner, a café team member. “Once the word gets out more and more, we’ll be busy.
“Today, we have a lot of customers who can afford to pay for their meals and also add a little extra for those who can’t. That’s what we’re hoping for.”
“Essentials Café will not work unless people of all economic standings come together. We need people of different economic levels to be mingling together.”Volunteer Carol Grace Hicks
Essentials Café is the West Side Moravian Church’s latest ministry. Its mission is providing freshly made breakfast and lunch weekdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at no charge to feed those without the means to pay.
But the café also is open to everyone, including those who have the means to pay for their own meal and, hopefully, donate a bit extra to defray the costs of those meals for the less fortunate.
“Essentials Café will not work unless people of all economic standings come together,” said Carol Grace Hicks, who was in her first day volunteering. “We need people of different economic levels to be mingling together.”
'They maintain their dignity'
There are many who are food insecure in Bethlehem and throughout the Lehigh Valley. Nearly 10% of residents are food challenged, including 17% of children, according to the United Way of Greater Lehigh Valley.
GivingTuesday is an independent nonprofit and a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity after Thanksgiving.
Created in 2012 and observed the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, the program was founded as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good.
The giving continues at Essentials Café — on Tuesdays and the rest of the weekdays.
One look around the place and one imagines they’ve been transported into a quaint country inn in New England.
Gauzy light green curtains coax the late-morning sun into the dining room. Large wood chairs nestle up to wood tables of various sizes. An inviting community table offers folks the opportunity to savor both delectable food and engaging conversation.
“Everyone, regardless of whether they can afford a meal or not, can come and eat."Kim Samsel, chef, Essentials Cafe
Each table setting has silverware wrapped in a cloth napkin and salt, pepper and sugar dispensers.
The warmness of the room reflects the caring nature of those who serve at the café.
“It feels like someone’s home or an inn,” said Kim Samsel, Essentials Café chef and board member. “Everyone, regardless of whether they can afford a meal or not, can come and eat. But not everyone who comes here is living under a bridge.
“For those who cannot pay, we make sure they maintain their dignity. Sometimes it's hard for people to come here when they know they can’t pay.”
Hot meals to start
Next week, the café also will begin serving hot meals, including nutritious bowls with 4 ounces of chicken over locally grown lettuce and other vegetables topped with homemade dressings.
“I love the concept of pay-if-you-can to help those who need it,” said Jill Peters, who, with lunch partner Liz Johnson, enjoyed a tuna salad sandwich Tuesday.
Added Johnson: “It’s wonderful to see this kind of program be a presence in the community where it’s needed.”
For more information, go to www.essentialscafe.org.
