On Wednesday May 2nd, between 11 am and 2 pm, the F.A.R.M. Café, located at 617 West King Street, will be celebrating the contributions Renee Boughman and F.A.R.M. Café have made to our community as we commemorate the Café’s 6th Anniversary. Jill Reese, President of F.A.R.M. Café’s Board of Directors invites the community to “…come on out and celebrate 6 years of Real.Good.Community!”
Best Cellar has sponsored a Buy Boone Lunch day on May 2, covering the basic costs of operations for a delicious Thanks-for-Giving meal. By covering the basic costs of the meal all donations made by patrons using the Café’s usual donate-what-you-can model will go towards fighting food insecurity in the High Country. The Café is grateful for the support of Best Cellar, Executive Chef Renee Boughman puts it best, “…even though Lisa and Rob (owners of Best Cellar) are very humble, I know that we would not have F.A.R.M. Café without them. From the very beginning their support was crucial in getting the café started. They lend time, money, and resources in the most gracious manner anyone could expect. It is this kind of support that makes the Café’s work possible!”
In 2009, Renee Boughman began working with community members to create the plans for what was to become F.A.R.M. Café. Her countless hours of hard work, compassion, and dedication has made the Café the warm and welcoming place it is today. Volunteers appreciate Renee’s spirit of service and community. She makes you feel appreciated and valued – feeding souls and stomachs.
The name F.A.R.M. represents the spirit of the Café, to Feed All Regardless of Means. Their mission is to provide high quality and delicious meals produced from local sources and served in a restaurant where everybody eats, regardless of means. At F.A.R.M. Cafe no one is denied a meal for lack of funds. Community members who cannot offer a monetary donation for food are encouraged to volunteer for an hour in exchange for their meal. This model empowers individuals by allowing them to feel a sense of ownership and belonging in the Café. The Café serves an average of 80-100 meals a day and of those, approximately 60% make the suggested donation to cover meal costs, 20% make an additional donation to cover costs of their neighbor’s meals, and 20% donate less or work in exchange for their meal.
Since the Café opened in 2012 over 22,500 volunteer hours have been contributed. In that time over 10,500 hours of work have been done in exchange for a meal and nearly 100,000 meals have been served.
F.A.R.M. Café’s Team thanks the community saying “We appreciate the support and patronage of the High Country Community these past 6 years. Please join the Café on Wednesday May 2 to celebrate the accomplishments of Renee Boughman and the F.A.R.M. Café – we couldn’t do it without you!”
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