Oct 12, 2023 · Written By Eric L. Bucey

Emily and Zach Cooley had not visited Open Door Café for lunch since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time the café had relaxed volunteer opportunities and was operating similar to a traditional soup kitchen. Guests could dine in or carry out the day’s single choice entrée without giving of their time, talent, or treasure. Opened in 2018, the café launched as Southwest Virginia’s first community café based on the One World Everybody Eats pay-what-you-can model.

Zach and Emily after volunteering and eating at Open Door Café

When Emily and Zach recently returned on a late September afternoon and were greeted with the question, “How would you like to give today,” they felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension. On the one hand, they had been looking for ways to give back. Zach said, “We’ve been looking for a way to give back to this community. It really has been so kind to us. And this was an opportunity to do that.”

In July the café shut down for two weeks for remodeling and re-focusing operations on its gift-based dining structure. The relaunched café now features more menu choices, more ways to give, and more diverse and inclusive guest volunteer opportunities.

As excited as they both were about the opportunity to give, Emily was also feeling uncertain about making it work. “I knew we couldn’t afford to eat, and I was thinking, well, what are we going to be doing [to volunteer] and that sort of thing. And I wanted us both to be able to help out.” Living on a fixed income and raising a daughter, Zach and Emily face similar financial challenges as many Americans. They rely on regular income checks to meet essential living expenses with little to no money remaining by the end of each month. In fact, according to a June 2023 LendingClub report, 61% of U.S. adults are living month-to-month.

This particular month, in addition to normal living expenses, an unexpected pet surgery had left them financially strained. Born with cerebral palsy and wheelchair bound, Zach has written a weekly news column called Strictly Observing since 2005. It is published locally in the Wytheville Enterprise and Smyth County News & Messenger. He also hosts a YouTube podcast called Zach’s At It Again, an endeavor which landed him a recent trip to Richmond. Zach served as a moderator for former Virginia Governor Chief of Staff William Leighty’s book talk and signing.

“With his cerebral palsy, he’s very limited physically. Even though you can’t see my limitations physically, I have issues [too],” said Emily. “So, I really wasn’t sure that we would be able to do it, you know, and [we were] kind of on a time crunch to get my daughter [from school], and it takes a lot of energy to get from one place to another.”

When Open Door Outreach Manager Lexi Rieman assured them that ability inclusive activities with accommodations were available, they felt relieved. “I do have a level of ability,” said Zach, who “had been wanting to come and be a part of what they do here for the community.” After spending thirty minutes double bagging plastic shopping bags for use in weekend meal packs for PreK-12 students, Zach and Emily felt rejuvenated. It turns out their own daughter, along with 1,000 of her school-aged peers in Wythe and Bland counties, benefit from the Hope Packs program. It felt good knowing their efforts were aiding such a meaningful community project. They also enjoyed interacting with other volunteers. “Something as so simple as unfolding and double bagging those bags and us doing it together, it really made a difference; we woke up this morning feeling very low.”

When it was time to eat, the wholesome, chef-prepared food didn’t disappoint. Emily and Zach had their choice of one of eight $10 meal combos, and because kids always eat free, they carried out a meal for their daughter as well.

For others considering a lunch visit to Open Door Café, Emily and Zach highly recommend it. “You’ll be blessed so much more than just with the meal, and it’s good food. If you come here and eat a meal, you’re going to enjoy what you eat, but the blessing that you come away with will have nothing to do with what you eat.” Zach also advises new and returning guests to open themselves up to the “Give:Eat” spirit before coming. “You have to be open. You have to be enough removed from yourself and your own agenda to be able to receive that kind [of blessing].”

Everyone at Open Door Café feels inspired by Emily and Zach’s story. Sharing their time and story are just a few of the many ways people support the cafe’s zero hunger mission. The café at 650 West Main Street in Wytheville serves lunch Monday-Friday from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm. Serving 17,000–20,000 meals annually, operations are also supported through guests paying full menu value, charitable donations, grants, volunteering, and special events. Each $5 gift funds a reduced price meal for guests in need, while a gift of $10 fully funds one volunteer earned meal.

“If you come here and eat a meal, you’re going to enjoy what you eat, but the blessing that you come away with will have nothing to do with what you eat.”

-Zach Cooley on the experience giving and eating at Wytheville’s Open Door Café

When volunteers like Emily and Zach visit and give with open and willing hearts, it uplifts everyone at Open Door Café. The cafe’s model for charity blurs the traditional lines between the giver and receiver of help. People serve their community shoulder to shoulder, regardless whether they’ve come seeking help or not.

The Cooley’s experience dining at Open Door Café led Zach to conclude, “Everyone’s in common. Everyone can eat. They’ll be no questions about their financial ability to pay, and we’ll find a way. They’ve got this wonderful place where everybody can feel like they’re contributing and not just getting something for nothing. They can feel like they’re giving back because that’s as important to most people.”

To learn more about Open Door Cafe’s innovative Give:Eat community café experience and find ways to join it’s zero hunger mission, please visit www.opendoorcafe.org.

Originally published at Feathers of HOPE on medium.com.