Emily Care N’ Share Cafe Gives Back In A Big Way

An organization in the small town of Emily gives back to the surrounding community in a big way. The Emily Care N’ Share Cafe has been serving and delivering weekly donation-based dinners for over ten years.

“This is a great bunch of people, and they cook like you wouldn’t believe,” said Tracie Bonner, who is the Certified Food Manager at Emily Care N’ Share.

The Care N’ Share Cafe serves dinner for their community every Wednesday evening and started when the Wesleyan Church began serving a weekly meal for their members.

“The women that runs the food shelf here in Emily came over and asked us if we could open up to the community,” said Gordy Huff, Care N’ Share Board Chairman.

The Care N’ Share is completely volunteer run from the people cooking and serving the meals to the drivers who deliver the dinners to the surrounding communities.

“Saw it in the paper they needed a volunteer, and I walked in and they said, ‘Would you like to do the coffee?’ Well, I’ve been doing the coffee and the drinks ever since,” said Alice Haglund, who has been volunteering for over eight years.

“These volunteers are showing up week after week after week, and it’s amazing to me that we have a great area around here,” added Bonner.

The meals vary week to week and are always filling and nutritious. Tonight, the Care N’ Share served taco salad with refried beans, homemade tortilla chips, and a variety of salads finished with apple crisp. The food is sourced from Second Harvest in Grand Rapids and is bought through donations.

“They are a food bank that gets the food that is donated to them from several of the larger companies and food chains, and then they give it to people like us and the food shelves at a reduced rate,” explained Huff.

Though a filling, delicious meal is a highlight, most people’s favorite part of the Care N’ Share is coming together every week.

“People get out and they talk to each other and they make friends and find out a few things,” added Haglund. “It makes a nice gathering.”

“You have people from Hilltop and Pequot Lakes and Crosslake, and we all come together – we work together – for a good cause,” said Huff.

The Care N’ Share is hosting their annual major fundraiser on Saturday, October 6. For more information on the event, visit their Facebook page.