According to statistics provided by the United States Department of Agriculture in 2023, eighteen million families in the United States suffered with lacking access to sufficient food supplies. In the state of Ohio, assistance is coming from a location that was not expected: the Toledo Public Library.
Under the leadership of Brad Reubendale, a former chief executive officer of SAME Café, the traditional library space has been transformed into a center for the battle against hunger.
SAME Café, which is an acronym for the phrase “So All May Eat,” was established by Reubendale.
It is a community organization that provides meals to individuals who are in need and runs out of a local library. Customers have the option of either volunteering their time, paying what they are able to afford, or exchanging fresh vegetables for a meal at the café, which is a participation restaurant.
In Toledo, Ohio, around one third of customers agree to provide their time in exchange for food, while the other two thirds make a contribution of some kind, whether it be monetary or otherwise. In addition, there are a few customers who choose to offer their produce in exchange for a meal.
For the majority of its fresh products, the café maintains tight relationships with the farms and gardens in the surrounding area.
Everyone is invited to eat there, regardless of their financial situation, and it is a venue that is fully accessible.
“Every type of person comes, families come, business folks come, folks needing resources or services come. So it really is a community hub,”Rori Quinonez, a café regular stated.
Libby and Brad Birky established the first SAME Café, which was a nonprofit organization, in Denver in the year 2007. Reubendale was motivated to bring the model to locations where those who are in the greatest need could be found, and he was inspired by the success of the café.
“Libraries are one of the last vestiges of any place that’s truly public space,” he stated. “No one can be kicked out of a library for being poor.”
Having a personal connection to the mission of SAME Café is something that Reubendale values. Following the revelation that he was gay, he was fired from his position as a pastor, and he found himself without a home and living out of his car.
While he was going through this challenging period, the SAME Café in Denver turned into a haven of support that he really needed.
He would go to the café, frequently dressed up, and contribute a modest amount of money in a stealthy manner.
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“I’d quietly put a dollar in because I didn’t want to have to tell my trauma to be able to get access to the resource,” he stated.
Reubendale is of the opinion that persons who are in charge of nonprofit organizations ought to have personal experience with the necessity of such services.
When it comes to Reubendale, SAME Café is about more than simply cuisine; it’s about preserving dignity no matter what.
“We don’t wanna have someone greeting at the door saying, ‘Tell me about your story, do you deserve this?'” he stated. “It’s about dignity, not just the food.”
The method that the café takes is founded on the conviction that genuine transformation occurs when individuals assist themselves.
“I think SAME Café is one of those beautiful places where people can find help for themselves,” Reubendale stated. “I don’t believe in helping people. The only way that people get help is when they help themselves.”
