Charlotte Shields-Rossi | staff writer

When Kevin and Mary Bode began development on Knead Community Cafe, New Kensington was a ghost town. The lack of development in the area made it all the more enticing for the couple to open up their storefront in that location.

“There was no place for people to come together and just share a meal or just come together and meet, and so by starting this, we have brought the community back into downtown, to a place where they can come together. And since we started this, now there’s about 70 new businesses that have opened up in New Kensington,” Kevin Bode said.

Knead Community Cafe, a non-profit, opened in 2017, as a “pay what you can cafe.” Patrons of the cafe can order a meal, and then are left with four options. The customer can pay the suggested amount, pay over the suggested amount, pay what they can or volunteer their time in exchange for a free meal.

Upon entering the cafe, large windows and farmhouse style lighting fixtures add brightness to the room. The walls are filled with green and orange paneling and signs that read “All we knead is love.” The staff members and volunteers wear vibrant green aprons.

The bright and colorful environment is no accident.

In fact, when the Bode family first bought the building, it was dark, lacked windows and was filled with carpeting. They knew that they needed to renovate the warehouse to achieve the type of environment they wanted.

“[The cafe] doesn’t have a soup kitchen type feel to it. People can come in and feel dignified, that they’re eating in a really nice establishment that’s friendly and warm,” Bode said.

The warm and friendly environment isn’t just felt by the customers but by the staff as well.

Emmett Nury is the manager at the cafe and has been working at the establishment for three years.

“It’s the atmosphere here. The Christian base [and] the volunteers alone that we have make you want to come to work, and it doesn’t matter what you’re going to face that day. You don’t mind it because you know the people that are around you here. Everybody is going to put in the work together,” Nury said.

Although the cafe does offer free meals without anything in exchange, they do offer a program in which someone can volunteer their time for a free meal.

“People like the idea of being able to do something for their meal, not just getting it for free. We call it a hand up and not a handout,” Bode said. “It’s usually very well received. Most people want to come in and do something that makes them feel useful and that feels like they have earned their meal.”

Jocelyn Burns volunteers at the cafe two times a week. When volunteering, Burns enjoys spending her time at the beverage bar.

“I get to say hello to everybody, and nobody’s mad about getting a cup of coffee or tea, and I get to meet the people of New Kensington. I’m not from here, so I get to greet and sometimes hear the history and all that. The regulars look for me now that I’ve been here the two days, and we always kind of have a reunion when we see each other” Burns said.

Burns enjoys volunteering her time at the cafe and recognizes the important impact the cafe has on the community.

“Everyone’s tolerated, no one’s left out, and they know the community. So the people in the community, even those who are indigent, depend on this cafe, and it’s a positive way for me to give back,” Burns said.

The mission of Knead Community Cafe goes beyond feeding people.

“Our mission is threefold. One was to feed people, help them holistically. It was to be an economic spark for the community, to try to invest in the community and make something happen. Then, the third thing was about building community. It was to make this community stronger. Those are the three things I always tell people,” Bode said.