The Community Food Co-op invites you to dine at the Community Café on Monday, October 2 from 5-8 pm, where Co-op Guest Chef Kelly Walunis will prepare a special Indian inspired menu featuring local Montana ingredients to help generate revenue for the Community Café.
 
The menu will feature pork from locally-raised hogs purchased by the Co-op at the Junior Livestock Market Sale. The hogs were raised by Lane and Sage Smart and Samantha Draeger. Two of the hogs came from the Smart boys, who raised their animals without feed-grade antibiotics or growth hormones. The hogs had regular walks, a cozy shelter and a big mud bath. Earning from the sale will go towards their college savings.

The Co-op is proud to partner on this event with Pioneer Meats of Big Timber, who graciously processed the animals free of charge. The hogs yielded over 300 pounds of meat. Whatever is not used during the dinner will be donated to the Community Cafe for future meals.
 
Proceeds from the event will go directly to the Community Café, Bozeman’s only pay-what-you-can restaurant. This will be the second year in a row the Co-op and Pioneer Meats have partnered to serve a meal at the Community Café. Last year, the event helped generate over $4,000.
 
“The Café welcomes everyone from the community to enjoy a delicious, locally sourced dinner,” says Chelsea Eddy, Front of House Manager for the Community Café. “What makes it special is the unique payment model that provides an affordable and accessible meal for everyone.”
“As a community owned business, giving back is vitally important to us,” explains Alison Germain, the Co-op Marketing and Membership Manager. “It’s something we’ve always done, to the tune of about $60,000 a year.”

The Community Cafe is located at 302 North 7th Avenue in Bozeman. For those who can’t attend the Co-op’s Guest Chef event at the Community Cafe, donations can be made online, with the goal to raise $1,500 by October 2.

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The Community Cafe is part of the HRDC’s Emergency Food and Nutrition Initiative, working to improve food security in Southwest Montana. The Café was founded when an increase in families needing emergency food boxes was observed at the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. The HRDC was established in 1975 and serves Gallatin, Park, and Meagher Counties in southwest Montana.  HRDC is a non-profit community action agency, dedicated to strengthening community and advancing the quality of people’s lives.