Café of Life in Bonita expanding from feeding the hungry to 1-on-1 help service

Twenty years ago, a couple invited homeless veterans into a shop for a cup of coffee and to talk about their futures.

That simple gesture grew to become The Café of Life, a nonprofit in Bonita Springs that serves lunches, offers transportation to the stranded and provides assistance to low-income area residents.

Helping the less fortunate was always a mission the Café of Life has strived for since the first cup of coffee, the organization said. The group's most popular service, daily lunches at Leitner Park, have happened for years in the city.

And the organization is expanding. A team of volunteer drivers now have a bus and two vans to fill a transportation void in the community.

Hurricane Irma put the service in overdrive, said Theresa Moore, a Café of Life board member.

“People still in shelters needed to get to school or work or back to their homes,” Moore said. “We could help.”

The vehicles are used daily by people going to the free Café of Life lunches offered Monday through Friday at the park.

Community members who have no way to travel can also get a pickup to the doctor’s office or to buy some groceries, said Jeff Nichols, the nonprofit's director.

The program started with a single van. Other organizations donated a second van and a small bus. That small fleet sometimes isn’t enough, Café of Life said.

On a recent morning, 19 people were waiting at one stop to attend that day's lunch event, said volunteer bus driver Paul Prany.

“We couldn’t handle that many," he said.

1-on-1 with families

Outreach has become a major part of the Café of Life’s mission. That means going to migrant camps and lower income neighborhoods and finding people who need more than food, Nichols said.

A person or family can share their struggles with the hope that Café of Life can help, the nonprofit said. 

Translation requests are common, said outreach coordinator Lety Santos, who is fluent in English and Spanish.

“I’ve helped people with an immigration form or translating at a school student conference,” she said.

The vans take people to English as a second language courses if needed, the group said.

Café of Life found that elderly community members are making use of their three-year-old outreach program more than expected.

“We figured out there are a tremendous population of seniors living on the edge and need help, but some people are too proud and don’t want to ask,” Nichols said.

Assistance might come in the form of aid for medicine or an electric bill.

“Every family is different,” Santos said.

Musical aspirations

The Café of Life is now dabbling in music lessons. One very passionate volunteer wanted children in poorer households to get a full appreciation for playing an instrument, Nichols said.

Before long, a donated piano was keyed by young children taking piano lessons in the corner of the building. Take-home keyboards, some donated, others purchased, are also used to make sure students get the best exposure to music possible.

“We had someone passionate to teach, we had the facilities, and it just happened,” Moore said. “These kids might have no other opportunity like this. We’ll maybe think about expanding our horizons, but this is already outside of our core mission statement.”

The core mission — providing a daily meal for those in need — is still Café of Life's focus. Every weekday, a group of volunteers, usually with an organization such as a church or community, prepare and serve whatever is on the menu.

During the summer school vacation, more than 100 people grab a plate every day at Leitner Park.

After lunch, people are allowed to grab some take-home food, clothes and other items on hand. On Fridays, Café of Life offers a weekend chicken dinner with a full frozen chicken, a pound of beans, rice and tortillas for families to bridge the nutritional the gap until Monday.

Moving forward, Café of Life plans to expand its outreach program to help more individual families. The program's list of clients has grown from 20 families a month to more than 60 in about a year, and the nonprofit's one coordinator cannot handle the full job.

“The needs are there,” Nichols said.

Six fast facts about Café of Life

• Located in the Women’s Club Building, 10540 Childers St., Bonita Springs
• Website: cafeoflife.org
• Offers free lunches Monday through Friday at Leitner Park, 26724 Nomad Drive, Bonita Springs
• Provides take-home food and clothes for people in need
• Offers transportation to doctors appointments, free lunches and shopping for people without cars
• Works directly with families to solve problems with healthcare, language barriers and legal documents