DUBOIS, Pa. — After more than two years of fundraising, a pay-what-you-can restaurant in Clearfield County served its first customers Friday.
The Soul Platter Cafe is located on West Scribner Ave. in DuBois.
The restaurant held a "Friends and Family Day" Friday to give its volunteers some extra practice before opening to the public.
The nonprofit restaurant provides meals to customers, regardless of their monetary circumstance.
“Anyone is welcome to come in and have a meal, whether they can pay for it or not," said hostess Debbie Peterson. "They can pay for part of the meal or they can volunteer to cover the expense."
Co-founder Erin Heath said the restaurant gets its food from the Central PA Food Bank, the Salvation Army, local farmers, food artisans and even grows its own.
“We also have food that we offer on our menu that we have grown in our backyard," said Heath. "The Soul Platter Cafe has its own gardens and much of last year’s harvest is canned, frozen and available for our use as menu items.”
Heath said meals are paid for by individuals willing to make an extra donation when they dine.
She said the concept is something the DuBois area needs because the poverty rate has been increasing since 2007.
"There’s also a data point called extreme poverty, which are those individuals who are living at a threshold of 50 percent or less of the poverty rate," said Heath. "We have over 1,700 residents in our zip code who are living in extreme poverty conditions.”
The Soul Platter Cafe will open to the public March 8.
Heath said in order for the restaurant to offer more hours and meals throughout the week, they need more volunteers.
Those interested in volunteering are encouraged to contact the restaurant.
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