Café 361 Serving Meals to the Community | Eastern Iowa RapidsCares 2018
- May 3, 2018
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Rapids Vice President Eric Schmitt presenting the donation to Café 361
Each year, Rapids Wholesale donates 5% of the proceeds from our Volition line to a charity, non-profit, or other organization that improves the lives of those in our community.
Our 2018 Cedar Rapids branch recipient is Café 361. This organization works with young women (in grades 6-10) from ethnically and socio-economically diverse backgrounds – the aim is to provide them with valuable life skills such as communication, personal accountability, and leadership abilities, as well as to emphasize the importance of education and social skills through interactions with positive role models.
The main undertaking through which they accomplish these goals is community meals. Around once a month, these young women share a meal they’ve prepared and served with up to 100 members of the community. They also take part in projects such as preparing meals for homeless shelters. These opportunities teach them how to work together, as well as improve their cooking and time management proficiencies. They also get to interact with members of the community who may come from a background different from theirs.
Our donation of $675 will go towards the cost of food, transportation, and housing for Café 361’s yearly summer retreat. The retreat lets the girls experience a college campus and participate in a local service project, among other things. This summer, the retreat destination is the Chicago area. They will tour Elmhurst college and assist in Aurora, IL’s Feed My Starving Children Project.
