Fork Real friends and family,
We want to share part of an essay that was submitted by Maia, one my previous 4th-grade students as part of her college application. This is the impact that Fork Real continues to make with support from YOU! If you’d like to join our growing list of financial partners, click here.
Thank you, Maia, for your thoughtful words through the eyes of a “student”.
-Rhonda
Maia, volunteering at Fork Real Community Café
“People, food, and conversation. These three things drove my fourth-grade teacher to open the Fork Real Community Cafe in 2017. As a fourth grader, I didn’t understand her vision. The cafe would be entirely volunteer run, would rely on donations for funding, and wouldn’t require guests to pay for their meals. How could this work? My first experience at the cafe was in sixth grade when my best friend and I were completing service hours for her bat mitzvah. I had never volunteered before; I figured I would tag along and be done. I never expected it to be fulfilling. Working together with inmates and people with physical and intellectual disabilities opened my eyes to a very real sense of unity and compassion. The work sparked my desire to connect and serve in the Rapid City community.
Weeks of volunteering turned into months, which turned into years. Regulars became friends; volunteers became family. Whether I knew it or not, I was in for the long haul. Even as school ramped up and my schedule got busier, I still found time to hop on my skateboard and head down to the cafe. I remember celebrating when John, a volunteer through the Inmate Exchange Program, went to work for the best bakery in town. I was inspired to see that John, who’d learned to bake from his grandma and had spent time in prison, could find his place through service. This experience showed me the impact of volunteering; empathy, understanding, and a willingness to connect with others can reveal untapped potential in anybody.
Seven years later, the mission holds true; food insecurity is still a major issue in my local area. I’m honored to be a member of the Fork Real family in building up people through food and conversation. I am forever changed.”