Sustainable Empowerment — FoCo Cafe Q&A
Upon learning the mission of the FoCo Cafe, Fort Collins’ only not-for-profit restaurant, it is easy to see how they have completely revolutionized the food service (and industry) status quo in their own unique way. Sit back and check out this email interview with Kathleen Baumgardner, Executive Director and co-founder of FoCo Cafe, and get ready to feel excited about their success.
Can you give me a short description of yourself?
I am the director of strategic communications for the College of Engineering at Colorado State University. I earned a degree in communications and I am a writer, designer, editor, and public speaker. I have practiced these skills in higher education and advertising agency positions, and I have also served on many local boards in very active leadership roles. I serve as the Executive Director for FoCo Cafe on a volunteer basis.
Describe to me your co-founders:
Myself and my husband Jeff are co-founders of FoCo Cafe. When we began developing the Cafe, Jeff was teaching and he had a background in medicine and agricultural/food research and a passion for cooking. I was, and still am, a director of communications at Colorado State, managing print, web, social media, and outreach efforts for a college. In opening the FoCo Cafe, we wanted to combine our experiences and passions into a setting that offered amazing food, a commitment to service, and a place where building community for all is at its center.
Tell us the story of how and where the idea for FoCo Cafe came about.
Jeff and I randomly met a founder of another Fort Collins nonprofit organization. A long discussion with her about her efforts led to other discussions about the amazing work being done by local nonprofits. One of these conversations with friends led my husband Jeff to blurt out that he thought nonprofit cafes should exist. I had recently seen a news story about one in Denver — SAME Café.
And so it began…an e-mail to SAME Café led to volunteering at that cafe within a week, which then led us to begin researching the need in Fort Collins. We began setting meetings with anyone and everyone in town. The overwhelmingly positive response pushed us forward.
Only months later, we found their garage full of donated kitchen equipment and cafe chairs; boxes of dishes would appear on our front porch; e-mails came in from many people eager to volunteer; college students began working on key projects; professionals were offering valuable services at no cost; and the cafe became a reality, opening on Thanksgiving Day in 2014.
I understand that most ingredients are locally sourced. Where exactly do these come from?
We work with a number of farms including Quatrix Aquaponics, Sunspot Urban Farm, Hope Farm, Buena Vida Farm, The Shire CSA, Harvest Farm, Garden Sweet, Friendly Critter Farm, and more. Most of our non-perishables come from the Fort Collins Food Co-Op. Our Spices are from Savory Spice Shop. We raise our own pasture-fed beef, chickens and turkeys at Liberty Hill Farm. The cafe sources some cheese from Welsh Rabbit Cheese Shop, coffee from Silver Canyon Coffee in Boulder, and iced tea from Happy Lucky’s Teahouse and Treasures. We are dedicated to supporting local agriculture because money spent at local farms stays in our community and makes our community stronger.
This is Fort Collins’ only not-for-profit restaurant! How does this WORK?
The cafe operates with a donation box — you can pay what you can, pay what you would normally pay, pay it forward so others might eat, or you can make your contribution with time and talent. This allows ALL people to access healthy meals with dignity.
We plate meals with guests in order to reduce plate waste and we encourage guests to come back for seconds. We see very little waste, and any plate waste is used for worm compost. Prep waste is fed to two different flocks of chickens. We also extensively recycle and we are one of the only glass recycling collection points in Fort Collins.
In 2015, donations made in exchange for meals covered all Cafe operating expenses. We also received contributions from individuals who wanted to support our mission, grants, event income, corporate support, and gifts in kind. This additional support has allowed us to add our first two staff positions, purchase new equipment, and offer programming.
We have more than 1100 volunteers who have signed up online and we are gifted with approximately 500 hours of service each month. We host interns and practicum students. We have written letters of recommendation for go-to volunteers that have assisted in job searches.
We now host a new effort at the Cafe — the Giving Tree. This is an outdoor space that allows the community to give, receive, or both. It houses pet food, books, coats, journals and pens, snacks, wipes and hygiene products, and more. The Giving Tree was conceived by two local woman farmers. We host it and these women and the community make it possible. We are so excited about this because we feel that the Cafe is helping people to think more about how they can have an impact in the community.
What organizations does the Cafe donate to?
The money we raise through donations in exchange for meals and through other efforts is used to keep the Cafe running and to expand and develop the Cafe. Right now, our focus is on long-term sustainability. We do make donations of “things” to other organizations. We often donate extra dishes, tables and chairs to people finding permanent housing, after homelessness or in other situations, like fleeing domestic violence.
Volunteers comprise the workforce and this is another unique aspect of the Cafe. How does this contribute to the overall atmosphere and mission?
When we opened on Thanksgiving Day 2014, we were entirely volunteer. Since that time we have added two employees. Our first hire was in April — Sam, our dishwasher. The second was in July — Steven, our assistant operations manager. Both of these hires were made from our volunteer pool and they were people we call “super volunteers.” Other than these two people, the entire operation is volunteer-driven. Having opportunities to contribute with time and talent is key for us. We want to empower people, regardless of means, to not only make a difference but to recognize and be recognized for their valuable contributions of time and talent. Being constituent driven and bringing people from all walks of life together to build community and solve the issues of hunger and poverty in our community is powerful.
If someone wanted to volunteer, how would they go about it?
We appreciate it when people sign up in advance to volunteer — it’s easier to plan that way. But we also know that many people do not have internet access and will drop in to volunteer in exchange for a meal. First-time volunteers who are able to sign up online would go to fococafe.org and select the “Volunteer” tab and then “Yes, I want to be a FoCo Cafe volunteer” button. Then, they would fill out and submit the form. Once the form is submitted, the new volunteer is able to log in, see what shifts are available, and schedule directly into the Cafe’s calendar.
Can you sum up volunteering, sustainable food service, and not-for-profit work and how it benefits the community as well as your personal life?
In terms of statistics, we’ve exceeded goals and seen many successes in 2015:
- 23,433 meals served
- 6,100+ volunteer hours donated (not including co-founder Jeff and Kathleen’s volunteer hours)
- $75,000+ invested in ingredients at farms and local businesses
- 2 employees hired who had been volunteers
- 12 interns, representing multiple programs from two universities, in addition to class projects and practicum students
But even more significant to us are the people who touch our hearts and lives each day:
- Volunteers and guests in recovery who are becoming healthy and engaging with the community.
- Guests and volunteers who are thinking about food in a different way and who have begun to cook and garden again.
- Those who have found a supportive environment after the loss of a loved one or the loss of a job or their home or a decline in health.
- Guests who drop in to share their successes in finding a job or a place to live.
- Young people who are passionate about giving back to the community and know they have the power to make a difference despite their young age and/or limited financial resources.
