Fort Worth, Texas (April 15, 2023) - One World Everybody Eats, and its network of independent nonprofit cafes, will participate in the fifth annual National Everybody Eats Week from August 20th – August 26th, 2023. National Everybody Eats Week is a nationally coordinated campaign to help individuals understand the power they have to build community, ensure a table for everybody, and end hunger.
“Community Cafes have been building equitable communities for nearly 15 years,” says Julie Williams, Board President of One World Everybody Eats. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, our member cafes continued to meet the needs of the communities they serve. But now, it is clear our challenge is also deeper than just food.”
According to the World Health Organization, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide. The organization sites social isolation, reduced ability to work, limited support from loved ones, and a lack of engagement in community as stress factors contributing to the sharp increase.
One World Everybody Eats Community Cafes® are dedicated to increasing food security and building community through the pay-what-you-can nonprofit restaurant model. Every Community Café is as unique as the communities they serve; but all One World Everybody Eats member cafes believe in a community led dignified dining experience where everyone is welcome, and guests can choose what they want to eat from a selection of healthy nutritious options.
“The biggest part for us is to do something that we felt was radically different in the nonprofit sector. I believe in soup kitchens, I believe in access to food no matter what, but I wanted to be involved in something that was more about getting to know and see people for who they are,” says Renee Boughman, Executive Director at F.A.R.M. Café in Boone, North Carolina. “Let’s cook good meals together, let’s talk to each other about our lives, and maybe that way we can figure out how to create some change.”
A dozen cafes across the United States will participate in National Everybody Eats Week. But, regardless of your location, One World Everybody Eats challenges everybody to E.A.T. during National Everybody Eats Week, August 20th – 26th:
Dine at a community café or donate online to support the work we do.
Get involved with your local café, sign up to volunteer and become part of the solution.
Join the movement to ensure everybody eats and commit to building strong communities across the nation starting with your own community.
One World Everybody Eats is a community of Community Cafés working to increase food security for all by providing a local approach to the global issue of hunger. The organization provides education, networking, and best practice sharing for nonprofit cafés; in order to, empower everyone to embrace the power of food to build community and serve their neighbors with dignity.
You can find your local café at www.oneworldeverybodyeats.org. If you cannot find a local café near you, consider serving your community by launching a nonprofit restaurant. One World Everybody Eats offers education and resources to help you get started. Find out more online at www.oneworldeverybodyeats.org.
About One World Everybody Eats
In 2003, One World Everybody Eats began as a simple offering in a small café in Salt Lake City, UT. Owner Denise Cerreta noticed her patrons were struggling to make ends meet, and in what she describes as her ‘field of dreams’ experience, she decided to begin letting them pay what they could for their meals. She realized that one in six Americans—50 million people—are food insecure, meaning families and individuals are accessing emergency food pantries, even scavenging or stealing, to meet their nutrition needs. To address this issue, OWEE supports a model of pay-what-you-can Community Cafés that helps communities alleviate hunger at the local level. Since its inception, cafés around the world have implemented the OWEE business model, including Panera Bread and the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation for which Cerreta provided café opening guidance. Dozens of cafés are currently in development. Collectively, OWEE cafés have served almost 2 million meals, 30 percent of which are served to people of less means. Under OWEE’s business platform, each café is committed to serving appealing, nutritious, locally sourced meals with dignity to everyone, while ultimately changing communities and their perspective on hunger. For more information on OWEE visit www.oneworldeverybodyeats.org.
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