Volunteer Spotlight: Laura Cann

We are a better place thanks to the fantastic individuals who volunteer on a regular basis at Fork Real Community Café. One of those amazing people is Laura Cann.

Laura is a dedicated volunteer who brightens up the Café any time she is here. Scroll down to learn more about Laura!

Laura Cann, and her children

A little about Laura Cann

Laura, a Rapid City native, has been one of our fantastic Volunteers at Fork Real since 2022.

Q: Why do you volunteer at Fork Real Community Café?

A: “A dear friend of ours told us about Fork Real and the amazing work that was being done. I was searching for a place that would allow my husband and I to teach our kids how important it is to serve others and invest our time in the community in which we live. I wanted to find a place we could regularly support by volunteering a few hours a week, where my kids and I could interact with others in the community and learn valuable skills along the way. We've found that at Fork Real!”

Q: What do you love most about being at the Café?

A: “I love how Fork Real gives back to the community in a wide variety of ways; many of which I am still learning about! I have the utmost respect for what their mission is and how they are constantly seeking ways to do more in our community. It is truly humbling and a privilege to serve alongside them.”

Q: What ARE YOUR FAVORITE MENU ITEMS?

A: “That's a toughie because there are so many amazing choices! I would have to say some of my favorites are the crepes, the variety of homemade soups, and of course the cheesecake! The flavors are often unique and absolutely delicious! *And a plug for the Fork Real food truck-the Grilled Chicken Berry Salad is scrumptious!!”

Q: WHEN YOU AREN’T VOLUNTEERING AT THE CAFÉ, WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING?

A: “I enjoy reading, attempting to garden, and spending time out in the Hills with my husband and kids.”

Q: What should people know about Fork Real Community Café?

A: “If you haven't been-what are you waiting for?! You won't regret it! If you are seeking a place to give back to the community and serve others, give Fork Real a call.”

Would you like to become a volunteer?

Volunteering at Fork Real Community Café is a fantastic way to give back to the community, and to help us end food insecurity. Click the button below to learn the ways you can give back through Fork Real.

Volunteer Spotlight: Lisa and Carl Saunders

We are so thankful for Lisa and Carl Saunders! Lisa volunteers with us every single week at the Café, and Carl assists us with special events. They are shining lights here in the Café, and we love having them here.

We had the chance to talk with Lisa recently about her experience as a volunteer at Fork Real. Scroll down to learn more about this fantastic individual.

Carl & Lisa Saunders

A little about Lisa Saunders

Lisa and Carl call Rapid City home, and we are so glad they are a part of our community!

Q: Why do you volunteer at Fork Real Community Café?

A: “I have long believed in the philosophy of Fork Real, but what actually got me started volunteering there was so that my granddaughter, Kate Saunders, could volunteer. She was too young to volunteer by herself and needed an adult with her, so I said I would do it.”

Q: What do you love most about being at the Café?

A: “I love working with the staff and other volunteers, I love the atmosphere of the cafe, and I love that people who cannot normally get to eat such great, professionally produced meals at a table with family, can do so; and they can hold their heads high because they work for their meals.”

Q: What ARE YOUR FAVORITE MENU ITEMS?

A: “The crepes with lemon and Nutella, the lasagna, and, of course, the cheesecakes! Don’t ask for a favorite flavor because there are too many to choose from!”

Q: WHEN YOU AREN’T VOLUNTEERING AT THE CAFÉ, WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING?

A: When Lisa isn’t volunteering at the Café, she enjoys reading, running (and walking), gardening, playing with or training her dogs, and playing the ukulele with her granddaughter Kate.

Q: What should people know about Fork Real Community Café?

A: “The name describes the being of the café. It is real and it is about community, both in and for the people who work there, and the people who eat there.”

Would you like to become a volunteer?

Volunteering at Fork Real Community Café is a fantastic way to give back to the community, and to help us end food insecurity. Click the button below to learn the ways you can give back through Fork Real.

Some businesses within the Rapid City community were honored with awards

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - On Tuesday, Elevate Rapid City held its second annual awards ceremony, an event to spotlight the work that local businesses do for the community and local economy.

According to Elevate Rapid City’s website, the company strives to embrace the heart and soul of the community. Some of this year’s winners included Black Hills Tire, the Rapid City Medical Center, and Fork Real Community Café. All local, non-corporate businesses.

South Dakota businesswomen earn recognition

SPEARFISH — More than 200 women gathered on May 23 to celebrate accomplished businesswomen at the Pivot Great & Small: Celebrating Women in Business Awards Luncheon at the Spearfish Holiday Inn Convention Center.

The 11th annual Outstanding Women In Business Awards was designed to highlight the impact of outstanding businesswomen across the state of South Dakota. South Dakota Center for Enterprise Opportunity West Women’s Business Center recognized the accomplishments of nine finalists for their business acumen and contributions and the four award recipients were announced. Keynote speakers Jennifer Baloun, BankWest and Barb Donat, Mediation Matters took the stage and shared their career and personal stories.

Fork Real Café looks to hit the road with new food truck

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - A pay-what-you-can restaurant in Rapid City is planning to be on the move... but not in the way you might imagine. They are hosting a fundraiser to take their restaurant on the road with a food truck.

Fork Real Café is a lot like other restaurants in the area... serving breakfast and lunch. However, there is one difference....they allow customers who are struggling to “pay what they can.”

With this model, owner Rhonda Pearcy says they can focus more on feeding people and building connections in the community.

Fork Real Cafe raising funds to get a food truck

Fork Real Café wants to take its mission to feed people on the road. The café has launched a “30 N 30” campaign to raise money for a food truck or trailer.

Fork Real Cafe launching food truck fundraiser

Fork Real Café wants to take its mission to feed people on the road. The nonprofit café is launching a “30 N 30” campaign on Wednesday to raise money for a food truck or trailer.

Fork Real Café will mark its seventh anniversary in March. The café’s goal has always been to build community through food and conversation with a pay-what-you-can concept, and Fork Real has provided more than 13,300 meals to individuals and families so far.

Fork Real Community Café Launches Food Truck Fundraiser

Fork Real Community Cafe is kicking off a fundraiser to bring real food and real conversation to the streets of Rapid City. We are raising funds for a food truck and seeking help from the public to raise $30,000 in 30 days, starting March 1st to make this happen.

Since 2016, Fork Real Community Cafe has been on a mission of building community through food and conversation with a “pay-what-you-can” cafe concept. With strong community support, we’ve been able to provide more than 13,300 meals to families in need.

To expand our community outreach, we believe going mobile is a unique and exciting way to do just that. Your support is the key to helping our community in reducing hunger and improve food security.

With a donation of $500 - $1,000, we have the chance to quickly achieve our goal so that we can get our food truck ready in time for summer events like Family Food Truck Night, Hills Alive, and more. Everyone that donates $1,000 or more, will also have a chance to win a private food truck event with a few of their friends.

“We are so excited to get out into the community in a fun new way and to offer pay-what-you-can options throughout town. There are people in our community that may not be able to make it to our physical location, but with this food truck, we can come to them.” Shared Rhonda Pearcy, founder of Fork Real Community Café.

Anyone looking to get involved and contribute can do so by visiting our donation page, donating to the form on this page, or by mailing a check to 324 St Joseph St, Rapid City, SD. Be sure to add “Food Truck” in the memo. Individuals can also stop by the cafe during the month of March and take a photo inside our “life-size” food truck.

Rapid City’s Fork Real Café receives state recognition for more than just a hot meal

RAPID CITY, S.D– With the legislative session already underway in Pierre, Rapid City’s Fork Real Café was recognized and honored by the South Dakota Retailers Association for the work they do in the Rapid City community.

Retailers Association honors Fork Real Café

Fork Real Café in Rapid City has been honored with the South Dakota Retailers Association’s annual Community Service Award. The award recognizes a business that goes above and beyond to give back to the residents of the community it serves.

Retailers give annual Community Service Award to Fork Real Cafe in Rapid City

The South Dakota Retailers Association (SDRA) has recognized the Fork Real Cafe in Rapid City with its annual Community Service Award. The award recognizes a business that goes above and beyond to give back to the residents of the community it serves.

A True Community Event: Fork Real Community Café's Chef's Dinner Auction

A true community took place on Saturday, November 5; Fork Real Community Cafe held it’s first ever chef’s dinner auction at the Dahl Arts Center.

Video courtesy of News Center One

Chef's Dinner Auction helps fight hunger - Rapid City Journal

Fork Real Community Café is continuing its mission of feeding people by hosting a mouth-watering Chef’s Dinner Auction.

Despite rising supply cost Fork Real is doing what they can to feed the community

Rising Inflation has caused more people to struggle to get necessities such as food and one Rapid City business is doing what they can to feed the community despite rising supply costs.

Fork Real is a pay-what-you-can non-profit café, this means people can eat at the café but allows for alternative payment methods.

Fork Real Community Café receives $25 k grant from State Farm

A Rapid City restaurant that helps hungry customers in need received a special grant from State Farm worth thousands of dollars.

VIa Keloland News

Fork Real Community Cafe Wins 25k Grant from the State Farm Neighborhood Assist Program

In just 10 days this spring, 88,000 people cast more than 2 million votes in support of their favorite causes. As a result, 100 communities in 34 states, including Rapid City, S.D., are getting an assist from State Farm®.

State Farm is proud to announce the Top 100 vote-getting causes that have won $25,000 grants to improve their communities. State Farm Neighborhood Assist is a crowd-sourced philanthropic program that empowers communities to identify issues in their neighborhoods. Non-profits affiliated with each of the top 100 causes receive grants to address them.

“Put a Fork in It,” a grant submitted by Fork Real Community Café Executive Director Rhonda Pearcy, is the local Rapid City winning cause to receive one of the one hundred $25,000 grants.

Fork Real Community Café is a non-profit organization created to impact some of Rapid City’s major societal challenges – food insecurity and hunger. As a former school teacher, Rhonda noticed her students were coming to school hungry. “Not acceptable,” was her reaction, and she decided to take action by leaving her teaching career to be a change-maker in the community.

Rhonda and her husband, David, opened Fork Real Community Café, a place where every person is invited to have a healthy, home-cooked meal regardless of his or her ability to pay. Since then, more than 10,000 ready-to-eat meals have been gifted to individuals and families in the ongoing effort to reduce hunger and improve food security.

Together, the Pearcys believe it takes a “village” to effect positive change in a community. That’s visible at Fork Real Community Café, where a team of regular staff and volunteers continue to serve their neighbors. The $25,000 State Farm grant award will help negate the rising costs of food and resources necessary to continue the ongoing love for the community.

“Research proves that hunger and food insecurity create stress, health issues, mental health concerns, and more,” shares Rhonda. “Fork Real Community Café provides an opportunity for anyone to dine in dignity with access to healthy meals. The Café also supports families that foster kids and maintains a mini-food bank accessible to anyone.”

“State Farm is happy to celebrate its 100th  anniversary by providing 100 causes with grant money to help them address the needs in their communities,” said Rasheed Merritt, Assistant Vice President at State Farm. “We look forward to seeing the impact these $25,000 grants will have now and in the months to come.”

Four thousand cause submissions were accepted in February at www.neighborhoodassist.com. The State Farm Review Committee selected the Top 200 finalists and public voting determined the Top 100. In the eleven years of the program, nearly 500 causes have received a total of $12.5 million to enact positive change in their communities.

For a complete list of this year’s 100 winners, visit: www.neighborhoodassist.com. 

About State Farm®

For 100 years, the mission of State Farm has been, and continues to be, to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its more than 19,400 agents and approximately 53,400 employees serve over 87 million policies and accounts – which includes auto, fire, life, health, commercial policies, and financial services accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats, and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 39 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit www.statefarm.com.​

Fork Real receives $10K grant to support their community-based food security efforts

RAPID CITY, S.D. — One local business was the lucky recipient of a $10,000 grant from State Farm Corporate on Thursday as part of their “Outstanding Community Engagement” program.

With Doors Open to All, Rapid City’s Fork Real Cafe Fighting Food Insecurity

Food insecurity and hunger are present in Western South Dakota, but one couple and their cafe decided they are going to do something about it.

The Fork Real Community Cafe in Rapid City welcomes everyone at its tables in exchange for supporting the group’s mission, paying a meal forward, or for those without the ability to pay, volunteer work.

Calling on Community: Rapid City nonprofit needs local help to get major grant

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Fork Real Café has been a staple of downtown Rapid City since its inception in 2017.

The nonprofit, pay-what-you-can café has reached thousands with meals gifted to those in need.

Now, Fork Real is in real need – of votes.

Vote for Fork Real Community Cafe and help them win a $25,000 grant

RAPID CITY, S. D. – Fork Real Community Cafe is eligible to win a $25,000 grant from State Farm Neighborhood Assist.

Start Farm Neighborhood Assist will be awarding $2.5 million dollars in grants.