By Betty Yeomans-Barton

Have you eaten at One Acre Café yet? Have you volunteered your time? If you haven't done either of these things, you are missing out on some great food and a great opportunity for ministry!

On any given day of the week, you will find volunteers from all walks of life preparing meals, serving customers, washing dishes, or busing tables. There is no distinction between those working for their meals and those who have simply show up to volunteer. 

I recently had the opportunity to spend a day working with a group of friends at the café. I had not served tables in 35 years, but as I told the staff, I have a lot of experience eating out, so I felt I could swing it. The day I worked, we served a record number of diners - 167. I was a little rusty at first, and the one thing I simply could not remember was to put a packet of butter on the plates that included bread! But, the atmosphere of this place was such that no one seemed to mind my gaffes, and I quickly felt comfortable in my work.

I am not sure how many diners I personally served that day, but two of them stand out in my mind. The first was an older woman who was accompanied by two younger women. As I served them, I learned that this lady was "paying it forward" by treating her favorite servers from a fast-food establishment to lunch. This is the sense of community that One Acre Café instills in its customers.

The second memorable diner was my last customer of the day. By this time, the lunch rush had slowed and many of the tables were empty. I had already taken my own lunch break, but for some reason decided to cut it short and get back to work. I was assigned a single diner at different table than the ones I had served all day.

Because this was the only table I had at the time, I was able to spend a little extra time with this diner, and she shared her heart-breaking story. I won't go into details, but will say that I firmly believe that God placed this woman in my path. Not only because she needed a meal and could not afford to pay for it, but more importantly because she needed a listening ear and someone to show they cared about her and what she was going through.

Volunteers can sign up for as little as one hour, or as many hours as they want. If they are not available during the lunch hour, they are free to come in early to prepare for the day or later to help clean up. Training is provided, and new servers are paired with experienced servers until they feel comfortable on their own.

If you aren't led to volunteer, there are still ways that you can support this ministry. The café is open weekdays from 11 am - 2 pm, so stop by for a delicious, well-balanced lunch. The café also hosts groups for special evening events.

And, if you find yourself looking for a good place to eat lunch this coming Friday (February 28) come on by, and you might be lucky enough to be served by yours truly!