Kindness Café Staff Create Nourishing Foods Tailored to All Client Needs
By Kara Witsoe, Volunteer
The talented team of Natalie Schwartz, Kindness Café manager, and Briana Sherman, Kindness Café supervisor, are ensuring that all guests have food items that fit their dietary and health needs. They’re committed to providing nourishing, nutritious meals and making sure that customers who visit the café feel safe, comfortable, and welcome. They plan menus, order food, schedule volunteers and guest chefs, develop recipes, and ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
They offer warm meals and items that can be eaten in the café or on the go. The staff and a cadre of dedicated volunteers offer a main dish, side dish, a variety of drinks, and sack lunches every day. Recent offerings include fish tacos, gnocchi lasagna, caramelized onion grilled cheese sandwiches, salads, and soups. Natalie and Bri are mindful of the dietary restrictions of their many clients.
“We always try to accommodate any medical, dietary, or physical needs in our kitchen if we’re able. When we have a meat option on the menu, we always have a vegetarian one. We run a sack lunch program with soft bread to accommodate our clients with dental complications. We have many clients who are lactose intolerant, so we always have sandwich fixings with non-dairy options when our main dish includes dairy,” said Natalie.
While warm meals are a big draw at the Kindness Café, the sack lunch option helps meet multiple needs. In addition to a softer option for folks with dental issues, it offers guests an option beyond the main dish of the day if it doesn’t work for their dietary needs or if they just don’t like it. Guests who are still hungry after eating the day’s special can take a sack lunch to supplement their meal. Sack lunches also provide a grab-and-go option for guests who can’t wait in line because of noise or other stimuli. This is just one of the many ways the café team works to create an intentionally inclusive environment.
“We strive to provide meals for everyone. We always have a gluten-free, halal, vegetarian, vegan, and nut-free option. If guests have specific allergies, we’ll do our best to meet their dietary needs,” agreed Bri. “A cornerstone of the café is the relationship we cultivate with guests that come to share a meal. We have an open kitchen design so they’re free to interact and ask the kitchen staff and volunteers questions. This is where we learn about most our guests’ dietary restrictions.” Their customers appreciate their efforts.
“We have one client with allium and nightshade allergies. When they come to the café, I make them a grilled cheese sandwich to ensure they get something to eat. They’ve told the staff and volunteers many times how much this means to them,” shared Bri. “We have another client who’s lactose intolerant and diabetic. We ensure that he has a meal he can enjoy before he finishes his appointment at the Resource Hub in the food bank.”
Natalie and Briana’s thoughtfulness and care for their guests contribute to the friendliness and warmth of the café, where everyone is welcome to a nourishing meal and engaging conversation with strangers who become friends. The Kindness Café serves between 400-700 free meals every day and is open Monday from 10am – 3pm, Wednesday from 10am-1:30pm, and Tuesday and Thursday from 10am-6pm.
To support the Kindness Café and other essential food bank services, you may donate online, email us at development@ballardfoodbank.org, or call 206-789-7000. We are very grateful to our many generous supporters.