The not-for-profit Fork Real Café in Rapid City is again inviting the community to come share a holiday meal, and as always, it’s pay what you can even if you can’t.

Fork Real Café started seven years ago when a Rapid City family Rhonda and Dave Pearcy had a vision to fill a need for food security in our community.

Fork Real has granted a local teen a birthday wish, allowing her to come in and be a guest chef and prepare a meal for her family and friends..

Rhonda Pearcy, owner, and founder of Fork Real Community Café was recently interviewed for the Lay the Course Podcast, a podcast featuring women in business, who are pursuing their life’s passion through their work.

A Rapid City business is getting into the holiday spirit by offering warm Thanksgiving meals to anyone who needs them. Tuesday through Friday, Fork Real Café serves people who “pay what they can.” Which means people can pay it forward or volunteer for their food.

When customers come in to dine at the cafe, they can pay for the value of the meal, volunteer for a meal, or pay it forward, by paying a little extra or paying in full for someone else’s meal. “Anyone and everyone who comes through the doors has the same opportunity to receive a nutritious meal,” said Pearcy.

As a former school teacher, Executive Director of the Fork Real Community Cafe, Rhonda Percy is knows the stress that back to school preparations can be for educators and school staff. So the cafe decided to provide meals to the staff in the Rapid City School District, to show there appreciation for the educators.

Volunteers from the Fork Real Cafe and Fountain Springs Community Church are in the process of delivering free meals to nearly 1,500 school staff members as schools prepare to start classes on Sept. 8.

One local cafe is stepping in to provide a warm meal and comfort for people who will soon be on the front lines in the Rapid City Area School District.

Two Rapid City businesswomen will host free workshops Aug. 29 and Sept. 2, with a goal of bringing the community together by understanding social differences through healthy writing, speaking and listening techniques.

“God asked me to take my two passions which is food and people and put it together and so this is the creation of that so bringing people together. Food is just that kind of centerpiece that everyone has to eat,”

“We want to provide an opportunity for anyone and everyone to be able to come in and especially kids who are not being able to eat breakfast and lunch at schools, – it’s really about the normalcy. ”

A video interview with Fountain Springs Church and Fork Real Community Cafe founder, Rhonda.

Rapid City Council met tonight and presented the Sustainability Award for the month to Fork Real Community Cafe. These awards recognize projects that contribute to the viability of the community and its economy.

The City of Rapid City is recognizing Fork Real Community Café is the recipient of the Rapid City Sustainability Award for the month of October.