Provision Community Restaurant

FOSTER CREATIVE, COMMUNITY-BASED SOLUTIONS TO OVERCOME FOOD INSECURITY, ISOLATION AND HARDSHIPS IN THE LIVES OF OUR NEIGHBORS.

PROVISION HAS THREE MAJOR TENETS THROUGH WHICH WE CONDUCT OUR PROGRAMMING: 1) REDUCING FOOD WASTE THROUGH FOOD RESCUE AND REPURPOSE, 2) REDUCING FOOD INSECURITY THROUGH FREE OR GIVE-AS-YOU-CAN MEALS, AND 3) REDUCING ISOLATION BY BRINGING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER. IN 2020, OUR PROGRAMMING CHANGED AS WE WERE NOT ABLE TO INVITE GUESTS INTO OUR DINING SPACE. WE BEGAN CATERING FOR SIMPSON HOUSING SERVICES SHELTER IN LATE MARCH AND THAT BECAME THE MAIN FOCUS OF ALL OF OUR RESOURCES. WE CONTINUED TO SERVE THE SHELTER 85 MEALS PER DAY, 365 DAYS PER YEAR. THIS PARTNERSHIP HAS ALLOWED US TO CONTINUE TO SERVE OUT OUR MISSION OF ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY AND TO SUPPORT THE EFFORTS OF THE SHELTER TO KEEP PEOPLE OUT OF ISOLATION, SAFE, AND HEALTHY, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DAY RATHER THAN ONLY EVENINGS. OUR ORGANIZATION IS PROVIDED SOME COMPENSATION BY SIMPSON IN ORDER TO OFF-SET SOME OF THE EXPENSE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ENDEAVOR, HOWEVER, IT ONLY COVERS ABOUT 75% OF OUR TOTAL COST.

OUR COMMUNITY KITCHEN PARTNERS PROGRAM: EVERYTHING WE DO AT PROVISION IS ABOUT FOOD AND COMMUNITY. ON ANY GIVEN DAY, BETWEEN TWO AND FOUR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS SHARE SPACE, KNOWLEDGE, SUPPLIES AND RESOURCES AS THEY GROW THEIR BUSINESSES, SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER AND CONTRIBUTE TO PROVISION'S MISSION THROUGH COMMUNITY EVENTS SUCH AS SUNDAY SUPPERS. OUR KITCHEN PARTNER PROGRAM ALSO SUPPORTS BIPOC- AND WOMEN-OWNED FOOD BUSINESSES BY ELIMINATING SOME OF THE BARRIERS THEY FACE IN STARTING AND GROWING THEIR BUSINESSES BY OFFERING A GRADUATED LEASE PROGRAM THAT IS 1/3 OR LESS OF MARKET RATE AND MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.

COMMUNITY RESTAURANT (SOMEDAY CAFÉ): BEFORE THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC, PROVISION OFFERED PAY-AS-YOU-CAN DINNER AND BRUNCH FOUR DAYS A WEEK. NOW REPLACED BY CARRY OUT, OUR GIVE-AS-YOU-CAN LUNCH OFFERS A SOLUTION THAT ADDRESSES FOOD INSECURITY BY PROVIDING A MEAL REGARDLESS OF ABILITY TO PAY. WHEN WE ARE ABLE, WE WILL OPEN UP OUR INDOOR SPACE ONCE AGAIN IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A WARM AND WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT, AND CONVERSATION. THIS OPERATION, AS WELL AS OUR SHELTER MEALS ARE FUELED BY REPURPOSING FOOD AND VOLUNTEER SUPPORT TO PROCESS THOSE DONATIONS AND PREPARE MEALS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. OUR COLLABORATION WITH TWIN CITIES FOOD JUSTICE SUPPORTED THIS IN 2020, WHICH ALLOWED US TO ALSO HELP THEM TO ACHIEVE THEIR MISSION OF REDUCING FOOD WASTE AND HUNGER BY DELIVERING THE PRODUCE WE USE TO CREATE MEALS THAT WE GIVE OUT EACH DAY - LINKING THOSE WILLING TO HELP AND THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED. TOGETHER WE HAVE A SOLUTION! THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP, WE REPURPOSED OVER 24,000 POUNDS OF FOOD IN 2020 AND LOGGED ROUGHLY 480 VOLUNTEER HOURS.