When a meal is rung up at Groundswell Café, 201 third Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, patrons can “pay-it-forward” by giving a little extra to support those who are hungry in the community.
Over the course of five years, this has allowed Groundswell the café, operated by nonprofit organization Matthew 25, to give away nearly $200,000 in free and reduced-cost meals.
According to a news release, Groundswell will be celebrating its anniversary with a week of events, Oct. 9- 14. The events will feature live music, free birthday cookies and a variety of fall-themed specials like pumpkin cinnamon rolls, pumpkin spiced coffee and pumpkin chai tea.
“Really, what we’re celebrating this week is one of those glimmers of hope in society, a good news story,” Clint Twedt-Ball, founder and executive director of Matthew 25, said in the release. “For five years, we’ve run a space where the wealthiest in our community break bread in the same space as the most destitute. The food is critically important, but even more important is the belief that we can each pay it forward to make someone else’s life a little easier. What would it be like if many of our whole society just naturally shared to help out someone else?”
Groundswell opened Oct. 8, 2018, as Iowa’s first and only pay-it-forward café. It operates similar to a regular café with a menu featuring soups, salads, sandwiches, omelets and smoothies. However, anyone who can’t afford to pay can order and enjoy a meal at no cost.
Instead of accepting tips, patrons are encouraged to leave a donation to the Pay-it-Forward Fund and all money raised is used to cover the costs of the free meals.
According to the release, Groundswell emphasizes local, healthy food, with as many of the ingredients as possible supplied by what Matthew 25 grows at their Cultivate Hope Urban Farm, and the rest is sourced from local and organic suppliers. They also serve a selection of fair-trade coffee and teas and have a variety of baked goods available.
Matthew 25 opens Cultivate Hope Corner Store in Cedar Rapids
