Last February, Q-Country 103.5 and the Little Apple Post welcomed The House Cafe as the newest member of the Q-mmunity Generosity team. This week we spoke with director Christopher Jacobs to learn more about the project’s origins and to see how much has changed over the past year.
“I was going to college here and my wife and I, who was my girlfriend at the time, were looking for a church,” Jacobs said. “We found one in Ogden and at the same time found a lady who worked for teenagers. After a few years she lost her job so we took over. Unfortunately, after three or four years we kept seeing the same result; kids dropping out of school and getting in trouble with drugs and alcohol. So we prayed on it and shortly after I met a guy in Topeka who runs a non profit cafe, and that’s where the idea came from. The House will be a coffee shop that sells tea, coffee, and food, but all the money goes back into Ogden and focusing on the youth.”
Christopher says he and his wife were drawn to the Q-mmunity Generosity program due to its roots in the local communities.
“My wife was doing research online and found out about Q-mmunity Generosity through the 103.5 website,” said Jacobs. “We liked that it was locally based and figured someone local would be more willing to help out the community.”
Like other winners, The House Cafe was provided a $250 donation and startup kit from Thrivent Financial and publicity from Q Country 103.5 and the Little Apple Post.
“The building we picked was probably the worst one in Ogden,” Jacobs said. “So we used that money to try and make more money by setting up a fundraising concert, which went really and ended up paying for all the drywall.”
The House Cafe has come a long way in one year, and although construction on the building is still underway, Christopher and Quinn already have their sights set on the future.
“We aren’t open yet as we’re still doing construction,” Jacobs said. “But we’re hoping to work with the Green Dress Project and a couple others that we think we connected with really well within Q-mmunity Generosity.”
Once up and running, they’ll have some other special partnerships as well.
“There are teens willing to work in the cafe and volunteer, so they serve those who come in,” Jacobs said. “We plan to hire them as interns if they work well to teach them what it’s like to have a job and what job interviews look like.”
If you would like to learn more about The House Cafe, you can call Christopher at 785-224-7544 or find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheHouseCafedbaBMI/?hc_ref=SEARCH.