BIRTH OF THE PORT CAFE

On Monday, July 28th, we were proud to organize our first potluck meal as the Port Cafe. Our meal took place at the Margaret Fuller House, and our neighbors delivered--green salads, wontons, pilaf, corn bread, caprese salad,  cookies, pizza, and even a personalized "Port Cafe?" cake (the question mark refers to the tentative nature of our cafe name).

The 27 neighbors who attended were mostly people who work and live in the Port/Area IV. Some people reunited with people they hadn't seen in a long time. Everyone had the opportunity to meet someone new. Two neighbors realized that they had lived in the same building for years but had never spoken to one another until now! 

We discussed where the idea for the Port Cafe came from and watched a publicity video for the Stone Soup Cafe in Greenfield, MA., which currently operates a pay-what-you-can cafe. Guests spoke about their own reasons for coming to this first meal, and revealed their own hopes for our neighborhood. We brought up more questions than we answered, but the creative energy was palpable. 

Now, we are in the process of forming a leadership team to continue the work of refining the mission and logistics of the Port Cafe. That team will also begin the work of planning for the next Port Cafe, which will take place on August 28th at a location which is to be determined. 

If you'd like to join us on August 28th from 6:00-8:00PM, please  click here to RSVP. Hope to see you there! 

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