“Our mission is to cultivate a healthier, more connected community,” says Tami Slipher, executive director of GraceFull Foundation, a nonprofit that funds GraceFull Cafe. The pay-what-you-can restaurant at 5610 South Curtice Street is about a ten-minute walk from the downtown Littleton light-rail station, which helps the cafe address food insecurity throughout the metro area.
According to Slipher, people of all backgrounds visit GraceFull Cafe, and everyone is treated with an equal level of respect, regardless of financial, health or housing status. Each visitor is addressed by name and served a hot, wholesome meal made with a seasonal farm-to-table approach. Community gardens, including one managed by Chatfield Farms, donate fresh produce to the eatery, which serves breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. and lunch until 2 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday.
“We keep our prices so low. We're like fast-food prices in a restaurant,” comments Slipher. Breakfast burritos, quiche, omelets and other rotating morning specials are $8, while lunch plates including soups, sandwiches and pasta are $12. The menu also consists of daily house-baked pastries and espresso beverages featuring Huckleberry Roasters coffee, all priced under $5.
According to Slipher, people of all backgrounds visit GraceFull Cafe, and everyone is treated with an equal level of respect, regardless of financial, health or housing status. Each visitor is addressed by name and served a hot, wholesome meal made with a seasonal farm-to-table approach. Community gardens, including one managed by Chatfield Farms, donate fresh produce to the eatery, which serves breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. and lunch until 2 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday.
“We keep our prices so low. We're like fast-food prices in a restaurant,” comments Slipher. Breakfast burritos, quiche, omelets and other rotating morning specials are $8, while lunch plates including soups, sandwiches and pasta are $12. The menu also consists of daily house-baked pastries and espresso beverages featuring Huckleberry Roasters coffee, all priced under $5.
However, patrons do not have to pay at GraceFull Cafe. Discreet cards are available on the ordering counter, and by handing one to the volunteer cashier, your meal is comped — no questions asked. If a guest can afford to pay a portion of the bill, a QR code on the tip jar allows them to do so via Venmo. Similarly, those who would like to donate a sum greater than what their meal cost can scan the code, too.
Given the generous model, Slipher admits that rising food prices and heightened food insecurity have been challenging for the cafe. When it opened in 2016, around 65 percent of meal costs were covered by patrons, while GraceFull Foundation subsidized around 35 percent. Now those figures have flipped, resulting in an increased need for more funding — a charge that Slipher has led since she was hired late last year.
She and the organization believe that food is step one in supporting those experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable situations, but the need for support often extends far beyond that. To address essentials outside of nutrition, such as shelter and health care, GraceFull Foundation advocacy program manager Julie Hall has taken the role of leader and facilitator of Change the Trend, a collaborative grassroots effort that involves more than 100 partners in the Littleton, Englewood and Sheridan communities.
By linking arms with groups like the Tri-Cities Homeless Initiative and Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger, Change the Trend and GraceFull Foundation are better equipped to address community needs holistically, as well as policy change at a local, county and state level. Most recently, shared efforts have led to the creation of a new food coalition within Arapahoe County.
To connect patrons with these resource partners, the cafe has a staff member who acts as a sort of pseudo case manager. Two days per week, she meets with guests to help them navigate what can be complicated systems.
She and the organization believe that food is step one in supporting those experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable situations, but the need for support often extends far beyond that. To address essentials outside of nutrition, such as shelter and health care, GraceFull Foundation advocacy program manager Julie Hall has taken the role of leader and facilitator of Change the Trend, a collaborative grassroots effort that involves more than 100 partners in the Littleton, Englewood and Sheridan communities.
By linking arms with groups like the Tri-Cities Homeless Initiative and Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger, Change the Trend and GraceFull Foundation are better equipped to address community needs holistically, as well as policy change at a local, county and state level. Most recently, shared efforts have led to the creation of a new food coalition within Arapahoe County.
To connect patrons with these resource partners, the cafe has a staff member who acts as a sort of pseudo case manager. Two days per week, she meets with guests to help them navigate what can be complicated systems.
Additionally, to determine and prioritize varying needs, GraceFull Foundation developed a Lived Experience Action Team, which is spearheaded by JD Dykes. He and Slipher explain that by listening to the experiences of those facing homelessness, the committee acts as a liaison between them and other local agencies.
What they’ve learned is that financial insecurity is just one of many hurdles. For example, it’s difficult to attain identification without a mailing address. The same goes for completing employment and services paperwork without a phone or access to the internet. Public transit also has its limitations, as do SNAP benefits, which do not allow the purchase of ready-made hot foods. Slipher believes that eating something cold out of a can is far from equitable, and adds, “People don't realize that the most vulnerable among us are not able to eat real food. There are all these things — people give up hope.”
But Dykes affirms that in working alongside GraceFull Foundation, he’s witnessed incredible resilience and determination. “Community is what addresses and solves these kinds of problems,” he says.
Service recipients and restaurant guests aren’t the only ones benefiting from a sense of community. Slipher says that volunteers at GraceFull Cafe, many of whom are retired, also gain friendships and a feeling of purpose. While funding will always be a need for the organization, it has a surplus of people willing to help — so much so that many are on a long wait list to participate in a cafe shift.
However, volunteers are now being asked to support its network of partners through Change the Trend. Opportunities range from assisting job training courses and shelter operations to serving meals, running the food pantry and even cleaning parks. In addition, GraceFull Foundation accepts monetary donations through its website and Colorado Gives.
But according to Slipher, “The best way that people can support us is to just come out and buy a meal. That helps to keep our cafe open so that the foundation can do the work.”
What they’ve learned is that financial insecurity is just one of many hurdles. For example, it’s difficult to attain identification without a mailing address. The same goes for completing employment and services paperwork without a phone or access to the internet. Public transit also has its limitations, as do SNAP benefits, which do not allow the purchase of ready-made hot foods. Slipher believes that eating something cold out of a can is far from equitable, and adds, “People don't realize that the most vulnerable among us are not able to eat real food. There are all these things — people give up hope.”
But Dykes affirms that in working alongside GraceFull Foundation, he’s witnessed incredible resilience and determination. “Community is what addresses and solves these kinds of problems,” he says.
Service recipients and restaurant guests aren’t the only ones benefiting from a sense of community. Slipher says that volunteers at GraceFull Cafe, many of whom are retired, also gain friendships and a feeling of purpose. While funding will always be a need for the organization, it has a surplus of people willing to help — so much so that many are on a long wait list to participate in a cafe shift.
However, volunteers are now being asked to support its network of partners through Change the Trend. Opportunities range from assisting job training courses and shelter operations to serving meals, running the food pantry and even cleaning parks. In addition, GraceFull Foundation accepts monetary donations through its website and Colorado Gives.
But according to Slipher, “The best way that people can support us is to just come out and buy a meal. That helps to keep our cafe open so that the foundation can do the work.”
