From Staff Reports
A breakfast buffet fundraiser will be held Saturday to benefit the Overmountain Community Cafe.
The breakfast buffet, which will be held the second Saturday of every month from 8 to 11 a.m. at River’s Edge Church, 19E Bypass, is a pay-what-you-can meal.
Since December, the Overmountain Community Cafe, founded by Sara Slagle, has fed the hungry in the Elizabethton community. In December they offered a meal for anyone that wanted to eat (donation or no donation) at Southside Free Will Baptist Church. Approximately 80 meals were served.
Last month, Slagle and her cooks were invited to serve a meal at River’s Edge Dream Center, feeding around 80.
“Since River’s Edge is a very visible site and their pastor, Rick Jones’s vision is very much like that of Overmountain Community Cafe, we are coming together to make it the permanent site for the cafe,” said Slagle. Plans are for the renovation of the site and feeding the community through the efforts of several volunteers, who are already coming forward.
Slagle said Overmountain Community Cafe has planned two pop-up meals per month through May, with more to be planned as these are still going on. The breakfast fundraiser Saturday will be for all, regardless of their ability to pay. However, those who wish to contribute to feed the hungry of the community, are asked to pay a suggested donation price of $7. “Either that or you can pay it forward,” said Slagle, who stressed that anyone can eat regardless of means, and kids 12 years old and younger always eat free.
“Overmountain CC as well as River’s Edge want all to eat together with dignity, for this reason there is no cash register, just a small wooden treasure chest, where donations are kept for the next meal’s cost and needed equipment,” said Slagle.
Plans are being developed by the two groups to gradually change the scheduled evening meals for earlier in the day so that they will not interfere with the church’s evening activities. Also, plans are to have a garden nearby to supply produce for the cafe. “Both the church and the cafe see it as a win-win situation for feeding the community,” said Slagle.
At this time, United Way of Elizabethton and Carter County is Overmountain Community Cafe’s fiscal agent, but checks can be made out to the Community Cafe.
After Saturday’s fundraising breakfast buffet, the next pay-what-you-can meal will be Thursday, March 26, and will be an authentic Cuban meal.
“There will be many more events in the upcoming months,” said Slagle, who hopes the Overmountain Community Cafe can be a daily happening similar to that of the One Acre Cafe in Johnson City.
Presently, the cafe has four cooks, including Slagle. “Our motto is ‘Together We Can Feed Everyone,’’’ said Slagle, who can be contacted at (423)-647-3535.