A new community breakfast has its second installment Wednesday. A pair of business owners is organizing a free breakfast once a month at the VFW in Rhinelander.
Organizer Nancy Smith says the idea for Coffee and Company began last fall.
“It was last October. We started thinking – we saw the people roaming the streets in downtown Rhinelander, and the first thing it started as just coffee and a sweet roll.”
But Smith and her co-organizer Mary Taylor didn’t get many takers at the downtown location they were using. So they expanded to breakfast once a month at the VFW.
Smith says it’s open to anyone…they just want to provide a nutritious breakfast to the community.
“We don’t stress that it’s people who are in any kind of need or anything, it’s just for people that want to have a free breakfast, come and sit down and chat with people for a little bit. We just think – sometimes there are a lot of lonely people out there too, so that’s kind of who we’re targeting.”
Some of the food comes from the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry. The rest Smith and Taylor purchase out of pocket…and they’re hoping for more donations and volunteer involvement.
About ten people showed up for the first breakfast last month. And Smith says they’re hoping the turnout will grow.
The breakfast is from 7 to 8 Wednesday morning. It happens on the third Wednesday of every month.
