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ECRS to Buy Boone Lunch at F.A.R.M. Cafe Wednesday October 17

F.A.R.M. Cafe, Boone’s donate-what-you-can community cafe, welcomes its downtown neighbor ECRS as the newest sponsor for the ‘Buy Boone Lunch’ program.   On Wednesday October 17, between 11-2, ECRS staff members will be serving in the various volunteer roles and welcoming the community to join them in supporting F.A.R.M. Cafe. As a ‘Buy Boone Lunch’ sponsor, ECRS has committed a donation to cover the basic cost of Wednesday’s lunch.

ECRS is headquartered on Howard Street just behind F.A.R.M. Cafe’s King Street location.   “We are very pleased that our neighbors at ECRS will be participating in the ‘Buy Boone Lunch’ program,” said Tommy Brown, Volunteer Coordinator at F.A.R.M. Cafe. ECRS has previously supported F.A.R.M. Cafe with donations and many of their staff including Pete Catoe (ECRS President & CEO) have come in for lunch. Yet, we are really looking forward to having staff from ECRS volunteer with us because there is no better way than the hands-on experience of volunteering to really learn what F.A.R.M. Cafe is all about – bringing the whole community together and making sure everyone is fed really good food.”

The monthly ‘Buy Boone Lunch’ days are similar to regular days at F.A.R.M. Cafe in that guests can donate what they are able for a great lunch. With ECRS covering the basic costs of the meal on Wednesday October 17 through a generous donation, each and every additional donation will be utilized by the cafe in its mission to fight food insecurity in the High Country.

Many local businesses and organizations have participated in the ‘Buy Boone Lunch’ program at F.A.R.M. Cafe.   This year’s previous sponsors include Mast General Store, Boone Drug Inc., 4 Forty Four Construction, Combs, Tenant & Carpenter, Best Cellar & Inn at Ragged Garden, Appalachian Mountain Brewery, Harvest House Church/New Life Campus Ministry, and ASU Diversity Scholars.   “It’s great having these businesses and organizations come and be a visible part of the community here at the Cafe,” said Renee Boughman, founder and executive chef at F.A.R.M. It is a win-win for the Cafe and for the business and everyone, and we really mean everyone, gets a great meal.”

ECRS is a great Boone/High Country business with over 125 local employees.   From the ECRS website – In 1989, a young entrepreneur named Pete Catoe began a journey that would lead to what ECRS is today – an award-winning, innovative retail automation company with thousands of installations throughout the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. With a handful of his co-workers, he started a small software company called ECR (Electronic Cash Register) Software Corporation that was based on a simple philosophy: Develop and deliver commonsense, innovative retail automation solutions that work as advertised. Take care of your customers and employees, and profits will follow. Catoe’s simple but powerful belief quickly became the foundation of ECRS’s down-to-earth business model. The company’s relentless pursuit of creating the highest quality software products, achieving world-class customer satisfaction, and fostering employee development over 26 years has transformed ECRS® into an internationally recognized leader in the retail automation industry.

F.A.R.M. Café is a non-profit, pay-what-you-can community kitchen that builds a healthy and inclusive community. It provides high quality and delicious meals produced from local sources, when available, served in a restaurant where everybody eats, regardless of means.   The Cafe is open for lunch Monday-Friday 11 AM to 2 PM. For more information on F.A.R.M. Cafe and its mission to fight food insecurity in the High Country please visit the website at Farmcafe.org.