Latest / We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits / 268. A Place at The Table: Fighting Food Insecurity with Dignity, Choice + Radical Hospitality - Maggie Kane

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268. A Place at The Table: Fighting Food Insecurity with Dignity, Choice + Radical Hospitality - Maggie Kane · We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits

• 0:01
  Jonathan McCoy: Today's episode is sponsored by feather feather provides digital marketing tools and strategies for nonprofits of all shapes and sizes, including the Humane Society of North Central Florida. Stick around for the break to hear how feather power their $300 digital ad campaign that raised nearly$6,000 In just one day. Hey, I'm John.
• 0:20
  Unknown: And I'm Becky.
• 0:21
  Jonathan McCoy: And this is the we are for good podcast,
• 0:24
  Becky Endicott: nonprofits are faced with more challenges to accomplish their missions and the growing pressure to do more, raise more and be more for the causes that improve our world.
• 0:33
  Jonathan McCoy: We're here to learn with you from some of the best in the industry, bringing the most innovative ideas, inspirational stories, all to create an impact uprising.
• 0:42
  Becky Endicott: So welcome to the good community, where Nonprofit Professionals, philanthropist, world changers and rabid fans who are striving to bring a little more goodness into the world.
• 0:52
  Jonathan McCoy: So let's get started. Becky, you are beaming, we're
• 0:57
  Becky Endicott: so happy. You know, my favorite days on the podcast, are when we get to bring just a progressive heart wired amazing mission story to our community. And today, I am just so geeked out that we're going to be talking about the power of food and giving dignity to people around the table. And I have to preface this by saying I'm Italian. And food is such a huge component of our culture and the gathering of family and the gathering. I mean, the cousins and what it does to bring community together is so impactful. And we've even referenced this podcast as mom's kitchen table. And because we want it to be a safe place where you can come and have you know, hotwire conversations and you can have honest conversations, will you where you feel safe.
• 1:52
  Becky Endicott: And we're actually meeting somebody who built a nonprofit with all of those ideals in place. So it is my great pleasure to introduce Maggie Kane to our community today. We got her name from Jess Eckstrom, who is on our ungettable get list. And she was on the podcast a couple of weeks ago. And she said, Man, you need to know this nonprofit and what they're doing because Maggie came in she is the founder and executive director of a place at the table. And it's Raleigh North Carolina's first pay what you can nonprofit cafe. And I think the quote that I love so much, Maggie is a place of the table provides community and good food for all regardless of means. And so Maggie has just a great story. I can't wait for you to go into it about how you saw the need in a soup kitchens and how it was missing kind of the dignity baked into it. And so in February 2015, she started this incredible nonprofit organization, and they opened in January 2018. The table has served 1000s of people in Raleigh with a dignified and affordable meal together. And we love that Maggie has this heart to serve this desire to always be inclusive and what she wants to do, and a passion for loving people. Does she sound like she's a do gooder in our community? Because I think she is Maggie. Grab your incredible heart and your food. Get up here at this table and tell us all about it.
• 3:21
  Maggie Kane: Yes, I wish we were all sitting together eating pop tarts and biscuits. That would be that would be wonderful.
• 3:28
  Becky Endicott: I mean, alright, so already I'm hungry. But I mean, you you started this at a young age. I mean, there's an you have an incredible TED talk.
• 3:34
  Becky Endicott: I encourage everyone to watch it. We're gonna drop it into the show notes because it really gives a sense of the flavor of this mighty nonprofit. But before we get into it, we want to get to know you. So we would love to hear just where you grew up kind of any stories about your life that led you kind of to this moment where you are today.
• 3:54
  Maggie Kane: Yeah, well first thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here and just honored. I don't know how anyone follows in Jess Eckstrom footsteps but I'm just lucky to do it. i She's just a wonderful human and I'm fortunate to be here and fortunate. She made the connection so thank you. I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina.
• 4:11
  Maggie Kane: So born and raised here. Grew up here with my amazing mother who raised my sister and I I have a twin sister. I have an older brother as well but he was a little bit older and moved away at a at an earlier age. So my mom is is a saint and the best person I know. So we had a great childhood I grew up in a youth group. We grew up volunteering a lot so I really am fortunate that my mom taught me that and show that you know that that we are we are in on this earth to love people and serve people and and be a part of many different communities. I was actually made fun of a ton in high school. I hated high school. So I said I am getting out of here and I booked a ticket found a scholarship moved abroad and lived with the host Family actually in Italy Becky, this is serendipitous, it was incredible. The best eight months of my life, I still talked to my host family. They were they were amazing. So when I was in college, I got to know a lot of people and fell in love with the nonprofit world even more, I went to an event where someone was speaking, they were speaking about a day shelter working with folks on the street. So a lot of folks experiencing homelessness and, and poverty. And I said, like, I gotta, I gotta get involved, and I gotta get to know these folks and see what more what more there is get to know other communities, and graduated college and several of these folks who are experiencing homelessness came to my college graduation. And I said, this is the work I'm going to do for a long time.
• 5:42
  Jonathan McCoy: Okay, friends, we this, this comes up a lot.
• 5:45
  Jonathan McCoy: But what happens in our life like so often just paves the path not that we're just we have to live in the lanes that we were born in, I think your story, even you, you know, unpack different aspects of your story. But I love that you collect the pieces that really were meaningful to you and the people that you really wanted to see and serve deeply. And like you put that all together, and what a cool founding story. I want to go into that funny story of just, when did you when did you first get the idea to say, a place at the table? I'm sure you had a distinct vision. What was that vision? And how did you kind of take the first steps?
• 6:20
  Maggie Kane: Yeah, awesome. And to your point about putting the pieces together, I went to school I didn't, I did not say this, I went to school for international relations, Italian and business. So I still in this mind, in my mind, I'm thinking I'm moving like I'm going abroad and moving back to Italy, Becky, but again, putting the pieces together and and realizing that there are a lot of other really cool things that I want to do, too. I kind of created my own job for this day shelter. So a day shelter for anyone who doesn't know, is not an evening shelter. So people don't sleep there, that it's a place where people can come in on the day, have a place to be get a cup of coffee, get out of the weather, and just feel safe for a moment.
• 6:56
  Maggie Kane: We saw anywhere from 80 to 100 people coming in. And again, getting off the streets. Most of these folks were experiencing homelessness. And for me to our point earlier food is my love language and food I think is that tool that brings people together, it's that one thing that we all have in common. If I want to get to know someone, I go out for dinner, drinks coffee. And so I wanted to get to know some of these folks experiencing homelessness even more. And so I would take them out or I would go and eat with them. So eating with folks experiencing homelessness means you you do eat at the soup kitchen and other various places like that. And so about a mile down the street, there was an awesome soup kitchen, it fed about 300 people, it fed up through two people in an hour.
• 7:40
  Maggie Kane: So they do really, really great work. But we would walk down there we'd stand in line, we'd get handed a plate when we got in of whatever they had made that day. And then we got to eat really quickly. So someone else could come in and eat. And there's nothing wrong with that at all it was they do an incredible work. They're really fighting food insecurity. But what I found was I didn't get to spend long with folks I didn't get to, you know, we didn't get to sit for for a while. So I started taking people out for meals. And I saw that they wanted to go to places like in North Carolina we and I think all across the east coast we have a place called Golden Corral. So they have any literally anything from salads to waffles to steaks to Trump croutons. And so we would we would go there and and several folks wanted to go there often.
• 8:25
  Maggie Kane: And so I always ask ask people, especially my friend, John, we went there about three times and I said, John, why do you want to go to Golden Corral every single time and my privilege that I grew up with my privilege where I get to go eat wherever I want.
• 8:38
  Maggie Kane: Um, you know, that set told me that he wanted to go to Golden Corral. And everyone wanted to go to Golden Corral because they had because they could pile food on their plates and they could eat for hours. And because they were really hungry, right? They they had to be hungry. And that wasn't the case. My friend John said no, that's not true at all.
• 8:53
  Maggie Kane: Maggie, it's it's because we have choice here. When living in this extreme poverty people make every choice for you from what you eat to where you sleep. Here we get to choose if we want a waffle or a steak right and then the second choice or the second the second reason is because we feel seen here living out on the streets living in this extreme poverty people treat us as invisible they sometimes they even literally step over me and they just don't see me here someone's greets me at the door they acknowledge me they come around and see if we need if I need a refill. I feel seen and heard here I feel dignified here. So that was that mic drop moment for me where I said boom like we gotta do something about this. There has got to be a place where all people feel seen and heard and and dignified. And so I started researching and I found the Pay What You Can system and found that pay what you can cafes existed across the country. Currently there are 15 Other Pay What You Can cafes that we know about all are very different. All work in the towns they're in so some listeners may have a Pay What You Can restaurant in their town. It's not a franchise, but it works where you are, and said, if other places can do this, then Raleigh can do. And the rest is history. Three and a half years later, we opened in downtown Raleigh.
• 10:11
  Becky Endicott: I just want to compliment you. Because, you know, one of the themes that we've been seeing a lot is in we've identified as a trend in nonprofit right now is this concept of ethical storytelling, and how do you embed dignity into every part of your mission, and it feels to me like you started with dignity in your story. And I think the thing that I love the most about your TED Talk, at least the story that's staying with me is how you used to go to soup kitchens, with your mom and your sister, and you would sit there and they would run through the line. And then after it was over as kind of a little treat, your mom would take you out to this Mexican restaurant, and you would have chips and salsa, and it would be this great little outing. And you noticed the dichotomy in that in those two experiences. And I love that you question though, why can everybody have this chips and salsa? Why can't they come and sit down in an environment that doesn't make you feel other eyes? And I just think about someone who is so overlooked all the time, as you've mentioned, having the ability to walk in and and experience something like this? I mean, what do you see? When somebody walks in for the first time into your restaurant? What do you see?
• 11:34
  Maggie Kane: Oh, my gosh, I love it. I love it. Thank you so much for seeing that too. With me. I just I Oh, it's wonderful. I feel first, I felt really lucky to do this work every day. We have an awesome team, we have an awesome organization that we couldn't do it without them. So I just feel so thankful every day that I get to do this work, and that I get to see folks walk in the door and and be amazed.
• 11:53
  Maggie Kane: We we always have a door greeter no matter no matter what that is. That's a game changer. If you ask anyone on staff and say what is Maggie Maggie's one thing. And they'll say, I think they'll say she's pretty nice.
• 12:07
  Maggie Kane: She's a pretty good boss. But if we don't have a door greeter, she is going to go home. Because Because and they know and they joke about it, because they know that's the most important thing we do. When you walk in the door, no matter who you are, no matter if you are wearing you pulled up in a portion or wearing a suit. Or you have a bag strapped to your back that and you look like you were out in the weather all night, right?
• 12:29
  Maggie Kane: You are going to get the exact same spiel and you are going to be greeted no matter what. And explain the concept. Because if we don't do that, then we are not hitting that dignity piece.
• 12:40
  Maggie Kane: We are not hitting that inclusion and welcoming cafe that we that inclusive and welcoming cafe that we are striving every day to be. So it's wonderful to just sit back and watch it happen and watch it work. Someone's working the door, right? Someone's at the door greeter and someone walks in and they've never been there before. And they and they say well, I'm hungry. You know, I love a meal. But I don't think I'm allowed to eat here. This seems to this seems too nice.
• 13:05
  Maggie Kane: And right away, you'll have our our paid staff, you know, work in the register and the door greeter, grab them and say what would you like, you can get anything on the menu. And it's just a really cool experience.
• 13:15
  Maggie Kane: And then once they're in there, once I try the food, they're stuck, like they're coming back the next day, too. And then they become an even bigger part of our community. And they start volunteering, and they start feeling like it's their place almost immediately. And that's the goal is that no matter who you are, you get to take place in this experience in this community, whether you're dining there, whether you're volunteering, whether you're donating, you're you're a part of it. So it's just cool to see that. It really does. The model really does work. And those barriers are broken down those barriers that you said, you know, I saw that there was in my TED talk about it at the soup kitchen serving, there's an actual physical barrier between me and a kid that look just like me. Here, there are no barriers, you are welcome no matter what.
• 13:59
  Maggie Kane: And we will make sure you know that.
• 14:04
  Jonathan McCoy: Okay, I mean, I feel emotional here in this and just kind of picturing the way you're just wrapping your arms around people when they come in the door. But I think what stuck out to me as like entrepreneur mindset person, which obviously you are as well, that position that's so critical to you doesn't have like an ROI. You know, it doesn't have like $1 ROI. But it's the most important thing there because it sets the entire tone for the entire experience and how you want to show up. It's so much your mission. And I think we get so hammered on what's the cost to do something and you're like, No, this is actually everything.
• 14:36
  Jonathan McCoy: And we can't do our work if we don't have that and it sticks out to me that you made that decision and what a cultural difference that makes for your team as you prioritize dignity and inclusion from the very second as someone walks in the door. So kudos to that.
• 14:51
  Becky Endicott: And I also want to say this whole hospitality mindset is very interesting to me. How are we welcoming people into Our homes and I'm using air quotes with homes, our missions or homes. You know whether people are meeting us online, whether they're actually coming physically to the space, like in your organization, the warming process, the first entry point, the first impression leaves a lasting impression. And so I just want to compliment you on that as well. Bravo.
• 15:21
  Maggie Kane: Well, thank you.
• 15:21
  Maggie Kane: That's kind I compliment my team and our all of our volunteers for sure. And I'll say two quick things that you said, you know, you feel like this wraparound as soon as you walk in, you probably actually get wrapped around when you walk in, you may get hugged. And then the second thing I'll say is, you know, to your point about that, that hospitality and that, you know, feeling like it's your home, we give cloth napkins for a reason.
• 15:43
  Maggie Kane: It's one of our most expensive weekly cost couple months. And when we first open we had someone who hadn't been in a restaurant in a while and it was pretty obvious and and we handed her a cloth napkin and she was like, oh, no, I'll just take the to go one. I'll take that. And we said, no, no, here's the pseudo napkin or the cloth napkin set that we roll. And she goes, No, no, I can't I can't have that. Like, I'm gonna ruin the napkin. I'm not I'm not good enough for that. And, and we said, No, of course you are, you are here at a place to table you are, you are part of our community. Everyone gets this here. You are worthy, you are wonderful. You are loved. Right.
• 16:18
  Maggie Kane: And, and she's and she started crying. And she said, I haven't had a cloth napkins since I was at my grandma's house. When I was growing up as a kid. And it's the most It's the most wonderful memory I have of of childhood. And she started crying. And and that is why we do it. That's why we spend so much on on cloth napkins and and real you know, real cutlery where you can actually like, pick up something with and your fork doesn't break in your salad because the small things matter.
• 16:50
  Becky Endicott: Yeah, as well as micro moments. And I just think the dignity and a cloth map napkin is just genius.
• 17:00
  Jonathan McCoy: Hey, friends, this episode is presented by virtuous and they just happened to be one of our favorite companies. Let me tell you why.
• 17:04
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• 17:20
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• 17:49
  Becky Endicott: Hey, friends, are you ready to take your digital engagement to the next level, but kind of feel stuck about where to start? Let us introduce you to feather feathers, an amazing tech startup focused on making nonprofit outreach more impactful by connecting you to your audience wherever they are online, from fundraising to program awareness, they've got you covered. And rather than telling you we just wanted to show you for years, the Humane Society of North Central Florida has participated in a local online giving day called the amazing give. It's a competitive landscape for donations. So in 2021, the Humane Society knew they needed to stand out in order to maximize donations for$300. In AD spin, their retargeting ads brought 119 visitors to their amazing gift donation page and generated nearly $6,000 in donations in just one day. With feather a small amount of ad spend can go a long way. Learn more about their solutions for nonprofits@feather.co That's feather without the last e.co Now let's get back to this amazing conversation. Okay, I want you to talk about this pay model because I think it's so interesting and I'm a Gen X Er So of course I grew up loving Bon Jovi, and I love his Soul Kitchen. And I've been watching Soul Kitchen you know for a while but I think your model is just like that on steroids. It's so great. And so talk a little bit about this innovative pay what you can model and share why it's working so well.
• 19:16
  Maggie Kane: So when you walk in the door, we look and feel like a regular restaurant you went and as we've been describing, you wouldn't know any different.
• 19:21
  Maggie Kane: You smell good food. You you see a just full menu you like hear people laughing, it just feels good. You get up to the register and you see a sign that says all prices are suggested so people can choose to pay the price that suggested you can pay more and pay it forward for someone else.
• 19:39
  Maggie Kane: You can pay less. Some weeks are harder than others. So lots of people pay less every single day. And we encourage that or you can pay by volunteering so lots of people volunteer every single day for their meal. We are a hand up first a hand out so people aren't volunteering because we forced them to they really want to they want to be a part of it. They want to spend time there, they want to be around people that that again, treat them with that dignity and see them. So lots of people volunteer. But again, all prices are suggested. So if you were to order a turkey bacon avocado club sandwich or a full waffle, they'll give you that suggested price and you get to pick no matter how much you have in your pocket that day you can pay.
• 20:55
  Jonathan McCoy: So I mean, this experience has had to be the I know it's the next chapter of your life. But what is it taught you about just dignity of seeing this work? And seeing the community wrap around your table has got to be so moving? What have you learned in that journey?
• 21:11
  Maggie Kane: Yeah, absolutely.
• 21:11
  Maggie Kane: It's definitely the it's been the hardest eight years of my life and probably will be I'm like, everything else is gonna be a cakewalk from here. But it's been it's been the most amazing eight years. It it's just taught me well, first, to your earlier point on dignity, we every single day, we are questioning how dignified we are. So how can we how can we keep being more dignified? So we will never stop asking that question. Every staff retreat we have, every time, you know, our leadership team meets we are talking about what more can we do to make this more dignified.
• 21:43
  Maggie Kane: So we know we have like loads of places to go to make it more dignified. It is just taught me that we you know, I always thought yes, we're fighting food insecurity. And we are we're serving so many folks every day a good good meal meal choice.
• 21:58
  Maggie Kane: But we're fighting community insecurity. It's this it's this like, thing of you know if COVID says anything is that people are lonely, and people need each other people need community. So So I think that's what this cafe has taught me that, that everyone is really searching for a community, whether they admit it or not, they're searching for something to be a part of that is bigger than themselves. And at table they get to so we don't ask questions of why you're volunteering, who you are, how much money you have in your pocket. But we know that folks are there because they they they want a community to be a part of. And so I think that's what it's taught me is that that community is is necessary in our lives, life is better together.
• 22:42
  Maggie Kane: When we are living life together and doing life together.
• 22:46
  Becky Endicott: I agree with you, I mean, some of the story of the napkin at Grandma's house. I mean, my some of my happiest memories in childhood, are when my entire extended family is around the table. And I so value that you have put this out into the world, Maggie, this is getting out. This is meeting people who have a different life experience lived experience, people who have had hardship, I love the concept of gathering together. And thank you so much for talking about community. The eighth value final value of we're for good is that community is everything.
• 23:24
  Becky Endicott: And I just would love to hear maybe a story about how you've witnessed the power of community at a place at the table.
• 23:35
  Maggie Kane: Sure, yeah. Oh my gosh, I could tell you 100 stories, really. And it's it's the best part about what we do.
• 23:42
  Maggie Kane: Quickly, I want to say because we were talking about John earlier, you know, John was my inspiration to starting table.
• 23:47
  Maggie Kane: And you, John, you said that you were like and I know John is so proud of this, you know, the whole concept of a quiz table.
• 23:55
  Maggie Kane: So full circle, John was on the streets and has never had never been to table right has ever been to a place the table in downtown Raleigh, but he was on the streets temporarily. He was experiencing homelessness. So he ends up get kind of you know, we we were eating together, we're hanging together. He eventually gets on his feet. And he moves back home to New York, I get a call a couple months ago from and we stayed in touch over the years, he followed up place a table journey knows I use them in my TED Talk and all my stories. And he I get a call from a shelter in downtown Manhattan, a men's shelter and they go, Hey, I just saw your listing as a reference for John.
• 24:35
  Maggie Kane: Just you know, he's applied as the Outreach Coordinator for this downtown Manhattan shelter.
• 24:38
  Maggie Kane: What could you provide a recommendation for him? And I like bawling. And so then I tell the whole story. And she starts bawling. So now John is an outreach coordinator in downtown for a men's shelter back on his feet doing great. So I think that's the thing that's like the power of community that does folks experiencing homelessness, a lot of them are lacking relationships in community. So if you if you provide a place where people can be loved and cared for and communities everything, then there's so much that can happen from there. But let me give one story. And I think I mentioned him in my TED talk, but I always mentioned him because it's been a story of transformation over the four years and he loves that I mentioned this story. His name is Dino and he has been he's been coming to our cafe since the very beginning. So January 8 2018, walks in the door doesn't say a word does not talk at all. Starts you know or does a waffle point to the wall.
• 25:32
  Maggie Kane: Apple then does dishes for hours. So then Dino a couple months later starts talking more and then you can't get him to stop okay? He's really a part of our community just wants to do it all every volunteer part talked to everyone pandemic hits. So he goes away we go and because because we close our doors and we go to all curbside, so we get a whole long soup kitchen line down the street, we we the soup kitchen close. So we actually were that for a while, which was totally fine. But we lost our sense of community we lost inside dining for about a year. So we don't see Dino at all. Okay, then, as soon as we open back inside seating, Dino shows up, eats his waffle and starts volunteering again. Like nothing happened. Nothing. And and we're like, do you know what's up? Oh, nothing just been good. How you been Miss Manny?
• 26:24
  Maggie Kane: Like, right. So there's just that is the power of community.
• 26:28
  Maggie Kane: He didn't care about the food.
• 26:28
  Maggie Kane: Yes, he's hungry, very obvious.
• 26:31
  Maggie Kane: But he cares about the community. We also have a we have a kid named Nick. And, and so you know, talking about youth to and teens. I'm in Raleigh, we have several universities and of course, high schools and younger but our universities here, there's one one local university 35% of students are food insecure. So we have a student that sort of, yeah, so it's a pretty big problem. And I think if everyone looked at their universities and colleges in their areas that they might see that be a similar similar issue, because you know, it's really expensive. So do you choose to pay for school? Or do you choose to put food on the table. And so we have a college student that's sort of coming coming to us. And actually, he ended up dropping out. But, but He comes every single day to us, and he sits in the corner drinks coffee, and it's it's a safe place. He walks in every morning, and and we check in with him. And he it's a safe place. So, you know, again, we don't ask a ton of questions unless you want to share. But he is one place where he feels that he is welcome. And he's young.
• 27:40
  Maggie Kane: And he's lovely, and so wonderful. And we've been tried to connect him to other services. And he will at some point, at least right now he knows that he has a community and that we are there for him.
• 27:54
  Jonathan McCoy: So beautiful. I mean, all your stories are just a you can tell your heart is just so full, from the people that have surrounded
• 28:00
  Becky Endicott: machi your joy, like it just radiates.
• 28:04
  Jonathan McCoy: I would love to hear you know, talk about, you know, the people that have made an investment in this too, because the listening audience today, a lot of us are nonprofit professionals, we're fundraisers, we're trying to bring dreams to life. What does it look like to really fund this dream and partner with the community to bring it all to life?
• 28:20
  Maggie Kane: Sure. Yeah. I was just listening to one of your latest podcasts about individual giving. And that is what it is i i The number one question I get every day is what grades do you all get? No, we don't get any grants. It is and some do. But who has capacity to write all these grants? And I'm sure many people listening to, but I don't. There are people strong students that do that for sure.
• 28:40
  Maggie Kane: And I'm grateful for those people in my life. It's individuals. And that's been the story of this whole time. So ours are four years. So everyone says What were you doing from 2014 to 2018? Till you opened?
• 28:51
  Maggie Kane: And they say so you're fundraising, right? And I was saying no, we were fundraising.
• 28:53
  Maggie Kane: It's it's what table is it is friend raising, it's bringing friends literally to the table.
• 29:00
  Maggie Kane: So building friends along the way, building relationships, building that community that we've already talked about, that then made it happen and continue to make it happen. So we're lucky that 60% of our budget comes from generated Cafe revenue. So we have that revenue stream, but 40% of its fundraise, and it's mostly individuals, it's mostly people that give $10 a month to people that give, you know, $10,000 a year. So individuals are the reason this happens and has happened and will continue to happen. I want
• 29:31
  Becky Endicott: you to talk about your dreams. What what do you see when you think about and project the future for a place at the table? Share that with us? I would love to know,
• 29:42
  Maggie Kane: for sure. Um, and you know, I'll give another shout out to our staff, we treat our staff really well. And we believe we should and will continue to and if we're here for the next 100 years, great, but if we are here for the next two years, and we've treated our staff well, then then that's that's what we're going to do.
• 30:00
  Maggie Kane: So But with that, I really do think that that we will be here because the community wants to support our staff. They want to support the mission that our staff gets to do every single day. And the community has not let us down yet. So a lot of folks want us to go expand open other places the tables they've seen this model that works so we don't know for the place to franchise because these cafes come out of the community they are in Yeah, they they are they work in the community they're in so sure I I can go move to another place. But it would probably take me another four years to open and build that community and build that team that made it happen. Because this is not a Maggie Kane thing.
• 30:44
  Maggie Kane: This is this is truly a Raleigh cafe. And so it it took the whole community getting behind it. And so if we can find the person in, in New York City that that is it knows the politicians knows the nonprofit people knows the restaurant tours. That is really that's really it. That's how it's gonna happen. And so we want to work with you. If there is someone out there that wants to open up a Pay What You Can cafe, call me, we will hand you the tools, I will sit on Zoom for hours with you, we want to help you because that's a dream, I would love to see one of these in every single city where no matter where you're traveling through, you could stop in and have a Pay What You Can meal. So that's really the dream. We don't know what we're doing next table. But if we can help other cafes open and continue spreading this mission and model, then we're doing something right.
• 31:36
  Jonathan McCoy: You live community, you know, and I just I love that you don't see walls you want to see people impacted and that exudes to you are so I hope some people call you I hope lots of people, you know, that are looking for a place to pour in what a cool thing. So okay, now you see the power of philanthropy on the daily, we love hearing about the power of philanthropy, but we just we really believe that the moments of philanthropy really can stick and change us as people, is there a story you would lift from your life and journey?
• 32:04
  Maggie Kane: I love this. And I love that you asked this question. Yes, yes, yes, I am a strong believer that there is way too much money to go around.
• 32:09
  Maggie Kane: So we should not be competing, we should be sharing resources, we should be working together to make all these all these things happen. All of our dreams happen, all of the you know, serve all the people possible.
• 32:22
  Maggie Kane: And to build as much community as possible. I do want to share actually about one we work very strongly and partner with an organization called Healing transitions in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it is a sober living facility. They accept anyone and everyone there, you know, no, no cost to you. Anyone struggling with addiction is welcome. And it's just a it's an amazing organization. And so there was a guy that that went through the program, had had been an alcoholic his whole life, but went through the program and picked up running.
• 32:57
  Maggie Kane: So running saved him. And he will say that, that feeling transitions. So started a running program at the Apple shelter, and gotten many other men and women involved with it.
• 33:08
  Maggie Kane: And then he went through the whole program got back on his feet. And he started this fundraiser annual fundraiser called the Oakwood 24. And so now every year, I think we're now five years in, a bunch of people go out and they run for 24 hours. And they raised they raised about $150,000. And so I've been fortunate to be a part of it for two years now. And I just feel honored to do that.
• 33:33
  Maggie Kane: And, and so it is it's a classic example of peer to peer fundraising, which everyone should be doing. And so it's really getting your friends to be involved in this and come out support, run a couple hours, walk a couple hours, whatever fits you. It's just been such a game changer for our community and awesome to see every year we raise more and more money. I
• 33:54
  Becky Endicott: love that story so much. So as we're winding down, we want to know what is your one good thing? What is it a piece of advice, maybe a life hack? What would you give to our community today, Maggie?
• 34:07
  Maggie Kane: Truly, number one, ask for help. Right? Ask for help. That's my piece of advice.
• 34:10
  Maggie Kane: Always be okay to ask for help and lean on your people lean on those people. People want to help people you just got to ask and if they say no, ask again.
• 34:20
  Maggie Kane: Again table is the epitome the definition of people coming together to make something happen. Because we ask for help.
• 34:29
  Maggie Kane: So ask for help. Don't be afraid to ask for help. And if they say no, ask again. Then ask me and then ask again. I think the second thing is to celebrate everything truly from your first chat. Like if you're starting a nonprofit or you're starting a business, whatever it is, your first $5 investors celebrate it, because I think we missed that those moments and and life happens really quickly. And so I think I do think celebrate everything has been something I've tried to live by, because it makes life a little bit better.
• 34:57
  Jonathan McCoy: The Attitude of Gratitude is everything. I mean, this conversation has been so full hearted. I truly wish we were all just sharing a table right now together and enjoying the atmosphere you've created.
• 35:07
  Jonathan McCoy: But tell us how people can find us because we've got listeners all over the country. drive over to Raleigh. If you're on the interstate, come on, just head over that direction. How
• 35:16
  Becky Endicott: can they give if somebody feels constricted? How can they make it a gift to this nonprofit and be a part of your mission anywhere in the world?
• 35:25
  Maggie Kane: Thank you. Yes, table raleigh.org Is our website. So check it out. Come see us in Raleigh word right in downtown Raleigh right in the center of everything. So Oh, Raleigh's a really cool city. So Mike got make a visit out of it.
• 35:37
  Maggie Kane: Come eat with us Come eat all of the carbs possible. And then you can see us on Instagram. And you can see the carbs we post every day.
• 35:45
  Becky Endicott: I just adore you your authentic, bubbly, optimistic self just makes me believe in the power of your mission when you bake that in, culturally, you talking about your staff deserve dignity just as much as the next person holy smokes that is aspirational. For us as in not just nonprofit in every business, and every group that we run. thank the staff bring dignity, what to what you do, Maggie, thank you. We're just rooting for this incredible mission. And I just want to tell you keep going. You are doing some really hard powered work.
• 36:23
  Becky Endicott: And I we just think the world of you couldn't be cheering for you more. Oh my gosh, please come visit on the list on the bucket list.
• 36:32
  Jonathan McCoy: Thank you. We appreciate you.
• 36:34
  Maggie Kane: Thank you for having me. It's been a joy.
• 36:37
  Julie Confer: Hey, friends.
• 36:37
  Julie Confer: Thanks so much for being here.
• 36:39
  Julie Confer: Did you know we create a landing page for each podcast episode with helpful links, freebies and even shareable graphics. Be sure to check it out at the link in this episode's description. You probably hear it in our voices but we love connecting you with the most innovative people to help you achieve more for your mission than ever before. We'd love for you to join our good community. It's free and you can think of it as the after party to each podcast episode. You can sign up today at WWE are for good.com backslash Hello. One more thing If you loved what you heard today, would you mind leaving us a podcast rating and review? It means the world to us and your support helps more people find our community.
• 37:10
  Julie Confer: Thanks friends. I'm our producer Julie confer and our theme song is sunray by Remy Boris boom