Fork Real Community Café Announce Community Partnerships
News Center One recently visited the Café to learn more about the community partnerships being developed.
News Center One recently visited the Café to learn more about the community partnerships being developed.
Broccoli Salad with Fork Real Community Café
Anya Mueller from News Center One recently joined Rhonda in the Café to make broccoli salad, great for a summer side dish.
Anya Mueller from News Center One recently joined Rhonda in the Café to make broccoli salad, great for a summer side dish.
Easy Sheet Pan Dinners with Fork Real Community Café
Anya Mueller from News Center One recently joined Rhonda in the Café to make an easy sheet pan dinner perfect for busy weeknights!
Anya Mueller from News Center One recently joined Rhonda in the Café to make an easy sheet pan dinner perfect for busy weeknights!
Cooking with Fork Real Community Café
Anya Mueller from News Center One recently joined Rhonda in the Café for the news station’s cooking series!
Anya Mueller from News Center One recently joined Rhonda in the Café for the news station’s cooking series! Click the link below to see what these two cooked up.
Fork Real Community Cafe Offering Thanksgiving Meals
The not-for-profit Fork Real Café in Rapid City is again inviting the community to come share a holiday meal, and as always, it’s pay what you can even if you can’t.
The not-for-profit Fork Real Café in Rapid City is again inviting the community to come share a holiday meal, and as always, it’s pay what you can even if you can’t.
The holiday meals are a tradition that started when the Fork Real first opened in 2016.
They come complete with all the trimmings and your choice of pumpkin or pecan pie.
The café offers the meal to everyone in the community, especially those who have nowhere to go for the holiday.
Volunteer Spotlight: The Palmer Family
We are featuring the Palmer Family for this month’s volunteer spotlight! Get to know Mom Gretchen, her daughters Addie and Katie, and Gretchen’s sister Laura.
We are so thankful to see these smiling faces in the Café anytime they volunteer. The Palmer family: Mom, Gretchen Palmer, and her two daughters Addie and Katie regularly serve with Gretchen’s sister Laura Ericson. We asked the Palmers and Laura some questions to get to know these amazing volunteers a little better!
Gretchen Palmer
Why do you volunteer with Fork Real Community Café?
We love getting to serve as a family, along with my sister Laura.
What is your favorite food you've ever eaten?
It depends on the setting and season, but prime rib is great anytime.
Who taught you to cook?
My mother.
What makes you smile?
A happy family
What else would you like people to know about you?
I homeschool my two daughters, and Laura and I are sisters.
Katie Palmer
What is your favorite food you've ever eaten?
sushi!
Who taught you to cook?
My mom.
What makes you smile?
Addie's antics
What else would you like people to know about you?
I play tennis for Rapid City Christian.
Addie Palmer
What is your favorite food you've ever eaten?
sushi.
Who taught you to cook?
My mom did.
What makes you smile?
Meeting other people.
What else would you like people to know about you?
I do gymnastics for Just, on the Xcel Gold team.
Laura Ericson
What is your favorite food you've ever eaten?
Thanksgiving dinner.
Who taught you to cook?
My and Gretchen’s mother.
What makes you smile?
Pets and traveling
What else would you like people to know about you?
My husband, Jay, and I enjoy spending time with our dog, Daisy and attending Minnesota Twin games.
Rhonda Pearcy: Serving Food & Comfort
We are proud to share that Rhonda was recently featured on the cover of Black Hills Lifestyle Magazine!
We are proud to share that Rhonda was recently featured on the cover of Black Hills Lifestyle Magazine!
“Rhonda Pearcy has happy memories of visits to her grandparents’ home and meals in their kitchen. That same warm welcome and good food is now what Rhonda offers anyone who visits Fork Real Cafe. “My grandmother was a home cook. I would raid her fridge and she thought that was great. (Repurposed) butter containers galore, and it was like a guessing game to find out what was inside,” she said, chuckling. “My Granny cooked because she loved us, and that’s the real reason why she cooked all of the time. That part, I think, I hold fast.” Rhonda taps into those memories, plus knowledge and experience from every phase of her life, to run Fork Real Cafe.”
You can view the magazine digitally by clicking the button below.
Fork Real Café builds community through food and conversation
Fork Real Café started seven years ago when a Rapid City family Rhonda and Dave Pearcy had a vision to fill a need for food security in our community.
Fork Real Café started seven years ago when a Rapid City family Rhonda and Dave Pearcy had a vision to fill a need for food security in our community. It turned into much more than just feeding people. The Café is a regular sit-down café with a mom-and-pop feel, but what is special about it is that customers are offered different ways to participate by either paying for their meal, paying it forward for someone in need, or volunteering for their meal.
Via News Center 1
Fork Real Community Café welcomes a 15-year old guest chef into their kitchen
Fork Real has granted a local teen a birthday wish, allowing her to come in and be a guest chef and prepare a meal for her family and friends..
The Fork Real Community Café is a nonprofit designed to help those struggling get a free meal. In the spirit of giving back, Fork Real has granted a local teen a birthday wish, allowing her to come in and be a guest chef and prepare a meal for her family and friends.
Ella Swanson is a freshman at Stevens High School and has had a passion for cooking since she was four years old when she made cupcakes for her birthday party. And now, 11 years later, Ella is still cooking things up for her birthday.
Rhonda Pearcy, Director of Fork Real Community Café, said, “Ella loves cooking. She cooks at school she is taking some courses with that. I’m a former teacher and so I continue to love to teach cooking and so I love it when someone loves to learn about cooking. And so Ella loves learning and she knows so much already and so she is just gonna be amazing.”
Rhonda Pearcy was recently interviewed for the Lay the Course Podcast
Rhonda Pearcy, owner, and founder of Fork Real Community Café was recently interviewed for the Lay the Course Podcast, a podcast featuring women in business, who are pursuing their life’s passion through their work.
Rhonda Pearcy, owner, and founder of Fork Real Community Café was recently interviewed for the Lay the Course Podcast, a podcast featuring women in business, who are pursuing their life’s passion through their work.
She shares her inspiring story and her passion for creating community connections through sharing a meal together. Click the button below to listen to the full interview.
Fork Real Community Cafe Offers Warm Meals During Thanksgiving Week
A Rapid City business is getting into the holiday spirit by offering warm Thanksgiving meals to anyone who needs them. Tuesday through Friday, Fork Real Café serves people who “pay what they can.” Which means people can pay it forward or volunteer for their food.
A Rapid City business is getting into the holiday spirit by offering warm Thanksgiving meals to anyone who needs them.
Tuesday through Friday, Fork Real Café serves people who “pay what they can.” Which means people can pay it forward or volunteer for their food.
During this Thanksgiving week, these meals are free.
“We give meals every day that we are open, but Thanksgiving is just that extra time to be able to say. ‘Hey, you matter.’ And we just want to give thanks to the people in our community,” Pearcy said.
Fork Real Community Café Honored by South Dakota Hall of Fame
When customers come in to dine at the cafe, they can pay for the value of the meal, volunteer for a meal, or pay it forward, by paying a little extra or paying in full for someone else’s meal. “Anyone and everyone who comes through the doors has the same opportunity to receive a nutritious meal,” said Pearcy.
Community First: Fork Real Community Café Offers a Space Where All Are Equal
Fork Real Community Café was founded by Rhonda Pearcy in 2016 in Rapid City. It is a non-profit with a “pay-what-you-can” policy. When customers come in to dine at the cafe, they can pay for the value of the meal, volunteer for a meal, or pay it forward, by paying a little extra or paying in full for someone else’s meal. “Anyone and everyone who comes through the doors has the same opportunity to receive a nutritious meal,” said Pearcy. Making time for face-to-face conversations is an important part of Fork Real’s philosophy. “When you’re having conversations, sometimes those are good, sometimes those are hard conversations,” Pearcy said. “We believe everyone should be able to have face-to-face conversations. It’s kind of what we are.”
Fork Real Community Cafe delivers kindness through meals to RCAS staff
As a former school teacher, Executive Director of the Fork Real Community Cafe, Rhonda Percy is knows the stress that back to school preparations can be for educators and school staff. So the cafe decided to provide meals to the staff in the Rapid City School District, to show there appreciation for the educators.
As a former school teacher, Executive Director of the Fork Real Community Cafe, Rhonda Percy is knows the stress that back to school preparations can be for educators and school staff. So the cafe decided to provide meals to the staff in the Rapid City School District, to show there appreciation for the educators.
Rhonda Pearcy, Executive Director of the Fork Real Community Cafe, says, “The school year ended crazy and it’s beginning that way and we just wanted to bring a little light to the staff and just wanted to say hey the quote we are in it together, but we are and everybody needs something positive. We all need the light, we see so much darkness and the negativity – we just need to be the light to each other and that is what we are trying to do for the Rapid City District.”
Rhonda also thanks local gardeners who donated produce and community members donating time to make the meals and deliver them, like Porter Muck who is an employee and volunteer at Fork Real Cafe. He gets to deliver meals to North Middle School, where his mom is a school counselor.
Fork Real Cafe Donating 1,500 Meals to School District Staff
Volunteers from the Fork Real Cafe and Fountain Springs Community Church are in the process of delivering free meals to nearly 1,500 school staff members as schools prepare to start classes on Sept. 8.
Volunteers from the Fork Real Cafe and Fountain Springs Community Church are in the process of delivering free meals to nearly 1,500 school staff members as schools prepare to start classes on Sept. 8.
Katy Urban, Rapid City Area Schools spokeswoman, said the volunteers are "doing this to show their appreciation for the work that school staff do, especially during this challenging time" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rhonda Pearcy, executive director at Fork Real Cafe, previously taught at Wilson Elementary and said she remembers parents who provided meals in the past at the beginning of the school year for teachers.
Pearcy said she wanted to "bless the schools" as teachers returned to their schools.
Local Cafe Serves Up Lunch for Rapid City Area Teachers and Staff
One local cafe is stepping in to provide a warm meal and comfort for people who will soon be on the front lines in the Rapid City Area School District.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) — School begins in two weeks for Rapid City Area students. Meanwhile, teachers and staff are using this extra time to prepare for whatever this school year brings. That’s why one local cafe is stepping in to provide a warm meal and comfort for people who will soon be on the front lines.
While the halls here at Southwest Middle School look pretty empty right now, teachers are actually hard at work preparing for the school year ahead.
“We’ve been working in our classrooms and trying to get those things ready and we started a new math curriculum this year also. So we’ve been working a lot with training and getting ready with that new math curriculum,” Shannon Bren, 8th grade teacher, said.
Fork Real Cafe is a local restaurant, run by volunteers including Dawn Hatcher. The business is donating more than 1,500 meals for teachers and staff while they are preparing for the upcoming school year.
'Come to the Table' Offers Free Workshops on Understanding Social Differences
Two Rapid City businesswomen will host free workshops Aug. 29 and Sept. 2, with a goal of bringing the community together by understanding social differences through healthy writing, speaking and listening techniques.
Two Rapid City businesswomen will host free workshops Aug. 29 and Sept. 2, with a goal of bringing the community together by understanding social differences through healthy writing, speaking and listening techniques.
The 'Come to the Table' sessions are organized by Leah Braun of Nsight Partners and Kate Meadows of Kate Meadows Writing & Editing. The first workshop is set for 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 29 at Rapid City Public Library, 610 Quincy St., while the second will be 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 2 at Fork Real Cafe, 324 St. Joseph St.
Both workshops are free, but participation is limited to 20 participants each.
Meadow said the sessions are an attempt to spark healthy dialogue in a society that is increasingly polarized and fractured. Participants will explore how their roles and experiences might contribute to constructive community dialogue.
Eye on KELOLAND: Fork Real Community Cafe continues to give back to the community
“God asked me to take my two passions which is food and people and put it together and so this is the creation of that so bringing people together. Food is just that kind of centerpiece that everyone has to eat,”
A business in Rapid City is allowing people to pay-what-they-can for a warm meal in a nice setting. And until it closes its door, the restaurant plans to continue serving the community in this way.
Rhonda Pearcy was a teacher before she founded Fork Real Community Cafe.
“I love teaching and I still think if you are a true teacher you will always be a teacher and so just from that I was lead to step aside and saw a lot of kids were in need of food,” Rhonda Pearcy, founder of Fork Real Cafe, said.
With that thought in mind, she decided to change directions on her career path.
“God asked me to take my two passions which is food and people and put it together and so this is the creation of that so bringing people together. Food is just that kind of centerpiece that everyone has to eat,” Rhonda Pearcy said.
When people dine at Fork Real Cafe, they can pay for their meal, pay-it-forward, or pay-what-you-can and volunteer to cover the meal.
“We didn’t want to repeat or reinvent the wheel of what any other nonprofit was doing in town, there’s no need to do that,” David Pearcy, Co-Founder, said.
Fork Real Cafe has been around for four and a half years now. Run by Rhonda, her husband David, and the countless amount of volunteers.
Fork Real Community Cafe offering free meals during this time of uncertainty
“We want to provide an opportunity for anyone and everyone to be able to come in and especially kids who are not being able to eat breakfast and lunch at schools, – it’s really about the normalcy. ”
The non-profit pay what you can eatery is providing free meals this week, thanks to community food and monetary donations.
Since customers are not paying for food this week, they are encouraging customers to give back by volunteering locally when the time is right.
Their menu is limited due to lack of volunteers and but they still want to serve to the community during uncertain times.
Rhonda Pearcy, Co-Founder of Fork Real Community Cafe, says, “We want to provide an opportunity for anyone and everyone to be able to come in and especially kids who are not being able to eat breakfast and lunch at schools, – it’s really about the normalcy. ”
The cafe ensures they are taking proper safety precautions and they are also offering curb side pick up with a phone call order. The number is (605) 718-5020.
Lunch is served Tuesday–Friday from 11:00am–1:30pm. Family-Style Dinner on Sundays from 11am-2pm.
The Ministry of Fork Real Community Cafe
A video interview with Fountain Springs Church and Fork Real Community Cafe founder, Rhonda.
Video by Fountain Springs Church
Fork Real Community Cafe is presented with Sustainability Award
Rapid City Council met tonight and presented the Sustainability Award for the month to Fork Real Community Cafe. These awards recognize projects that contribute to the viability of the community and its economy.
Rapid City Council met tonight and presented the Sustainability Award for the month to Fork Real Community Cafe. These awards recognize projects that contribute to the viability of the community and its economy. Fork Real is a non-profit “pay what you can” community cafe, offering fresh farm-to-table meals with a variety of options to pay. Options to pay include paying the value of your food with cash, pay it forward by paying for the customers behind you, or volunteering your time back to the cafe for the meal.