One Acre Cafe’s mission is to nourish the body, replenish the spirit,

and grow the community so that all might be fed.

One Acre Cafe is dedicated to providing a place for all members of the community to

gather and eat, and where having a healthy, high quality meal in a welcoming environment

is given priority over the ability to pay.

OVERVIEW

One Acre Café will be opening in downtown Johnson City in the fall of 2013. This café will be a non-profit community restaurant established by using the model provided by the One World Everybody Eats Foundation. To date this foundation has directly or indirectly helped launch over 28 community cafes, with the most recent, in our area, being the F.A.R.M. Café in Boone, NC. Some examples of cafes using the this type model are three Panera Cares restaurants, the SAME Café in Denver, CO and the Soul Kitchen started by Jon Bon Jovi in New Jersey.

One Acre Café will offer our community the “pay-what-you-can” option in a warm and inviting space.  There will be suggested donations for those who can pay or pay it forward, and the ability to volunteer in exchange for a meal for those who cannot.  The café chef will prepare delicious and healthy meals that include items purchased from or donated by local farmers.  This progressive model is new to our area and will be a great addition to the plans for downtown revitalization.

The café will also provide wonderful volunteer opportunities for community members.  For those volunteers that have a need, they may request to be involved in our co-operative program which will include job training and assistance in seeking employment within in our community.

COMMUNITY

Our vision is to see all of our community members, regardless of their means, dining together and supporting one another in building the strength and health of our community.

One Acre Cafe will be a community space.  All people from the community are invited and welcomed.  We will provide an environment where people are valued. 

The purpose of this café is to build a stronger sense of community through healthy food and eating together based on the following concepts: 

Operate with a no-set-menu, no-set-price - providing an opportunity for people to “eat what they want, and pay what they can”, pay what they would typically pay, “pay it forward” through paying more, or pay through an hour of service.

Encourage volunteerism.  Give people the opportunity to give back to the community and organization or to donate their time to pay for their meal.

Provide job training skills for those who want to move into other areas of the food industry.

Allow patrons to choose their own portions; this helps each person play a role in ending food waste.

Serve healthy food to promote good health, and support local farmers.