October 12, 2018
This week, I headed downtown with my friend Sue to visit the CitySquare Café on their Opportunity Campus. I have volunteered with City Square many times, at the Thrift Store and with the Food on the Move program during the summers. After sampling some of the baked goods from their new Café at the opening the new North Texas Food Bank facility, and learning more about their program, we made a pledge to visit.
Since its founding in 1988, CitySquare has grown into a broad community development organization offering a comprehensive array of social services that address four key areas related to the persistence of poverty: hunger, health, housing, and hope. In November 2014, CitySquare relocated most of its direct services programs, including the food pantry and workforce training department, to its new Opportunity Center – a 53,000 square-foot campus located at the corner of Malcolm X. Boulevard and I-30 in Dallas.
A unique poverty-fighting project, the CitySquare Café is a designed as a training ground for students and graduates of their free six-week food service and hospitality program. Open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., the cafe serves breakfast and lunch and is open to the public.
Students in the program get help with transitional housing, food, clothing, and job placement. Those who have completed the program have a chance to intern at the café, making a living wage while they secure long-term employment with CitySquare’s community business partners.
When we arrived, neighbors were in the courtyard, enjoying a cup of coffee. The Opportunity Center offers a place of refuge where neighbors can seek a better life. The café, run by Chef Sonya Dorsey, aims to change the trajectory of their lives through job training and placement.
The Café stays busy during mealtimes with volunteers, staff members, and groups who tour the Opportunity Center. The daily breakfast menu includes their renowned biscuits (with or without gravy), breakfast sandwiches, and burritos, as well as oatmeal and parfaits. For lunch, the Café serves a variety of soups, salads, and sandwiches, as well as a selection of desserts. They also cater to local organizations.
You can learn more about CitySquare’s history, mission and future by joining a tour of the Opportunity Center. Tours are offered twice a month and last about an hour.
Why not make plans to visit the Opportunity Center and enjoy a meal at the Café? You’ll be supporting CitySquare and fighting poverty with your meal purchase. A full menu is available here.
