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My name is Katharine Davis.
In many ways I feel like I'm trying to write my own obituary.
Tonight I have the task of writing an e-mail that will be a final attempt to capture - what has become – my entire life.
Three years ago this June, I opened the Organic Underground in downtown Belleville.
From inception, I imagined a space that would exemplify the reality that so many of us want to see in the world.
This was to be a space where people who live in a common geographic area, would come together – often for the first time, and build a community.
I imagined a child friendly environment where the sound of a baby crying or children playing would be, not only tolerated, but enjoyed.
I ordered 'breastfeeding friendly' stickers for the windows and bathroom, gay/lesbian rainbow stickers for the front door. I sourced out environmentally friendly containers and paper products for the cafe. I dreamed of Indie art all over the walls, local musicians and developing bands making use of the small stage.
I wanted to have a cafe where everybody got to eat and we acknowledged a 'pay what/when you can system for people who struggled to afford food.
I imagined street people, and lawyers having lunch in the same place eating the same quality food.
I factored in a rate of pay for the staff that was a living wage, and not a minimum wage.
The coffee, the drinks, the space, the food, the staff, and the atmosphere was healthy – by design.
I hoped for a space in this city that had never been here before.
I hoped for a healthy community.
Well, be careful what you hope for...
After 3 years (almost to the day) of being open, my goal has been 100% successful.
In fact, it's been more then that.
It has far surpassed even the deepest desires I ever dared to dream about.
With a staff of 7 we have become a chapter in this cities history of epic proportion.
In ways that will take me years to really understand, the Organic Underground has literally changed Belleville forever.
Networking with dozens of local social organizations and faith groups, school groups, and politicians we have become intimately woven into the discussion of healthy and sustainable community.
Without a cumbersome internal process we have been able to act quickly and effectively in supporting a huge and growing vulnerable population.
Our location right downtown has made us an invaluable resource to agencies that would like to have their programs available in the most at risk area.
We have teamed up with the Health Unit, to offer healthy sexuality clinics; schools, to involve teens who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out; the food security network, the transition town work, and the green task force. We have aligned with the midwives to host a breastfeeding awareness initiative, and we have fleshed out a program with social services to be able to offer food vouchers for healthy food to hungry people in our community.
I have personally learned more about faith, compassion and human spirit in the last three years then I would have thought possible.
With a university degree and a whole career full of community development work, I can tell you that never in my experience has anything so effective existed as a grassroots center for community development.
People of all demographics meeting and connecting with each other. Folks with mental illness knowing that they are remembered here and that they will be loved and supported. Addicts that feel safe to start the insurmountable task of getting clean, scores of young mom's who have the opportunity to heal themselves and parent their children because we provide a safe space with professional supervision. A healthy food buying co-op with over 150 members that has access to healthy alternative foods. A safe, alcohol free location for young people to play music and meet other musicians, some amateur, some seasoned.
The stories of this place belong in the chapters of a best selling book one day. Stories that sound too amazing to be true, but are nothing less then what a community can do if it's given the space to do it.
But, if this is a book, then we are at the part in the story that looks like all is lost.
This is the part where the narrator, me, explains that we are on the verge of losing all of this beauty.
Since last November every staff member has been unpaid, and has chosen to volunteer their endless passion to ensure the continuation of the Organic Underground.
We have taken every cost cutting measure we could without compromising our vision of inclusion for this space.
Our insistence on feeding anyone and including every member of our community has cost us financially.
In about 2 weeks this space will close and this community will lose most of what has been created.
I will lose about $70,000.00 (the balance of the business loans)
I will not lose my faith in this community, I will not acknowledge that loving people is ever the wrong answer, and I will certainly not ever regret trying to accomplished what seemed impossible.
So, as I write this story I can only imagine that our novel gets to have a hero who comes to save the day. At first I hoped that the hero would be a philanthropist who would hand us buckets of money. I would have accepted an agency or church writing us a cheque to cover our costs in carrying out this work. Perhaps a charitable organization who would recognize our massive contribution and fund us to be able to carry on building our community space.
I tried all of those options, and for reasons that will always feel are divinely inspired, it hasn't happened that way. The more I wrestled with the reality, the clearer the answer became.
In this story, we all get to be heroes.
If enough people could imagine donating $10.00, then we could reach the goal of $70.000.00.
If we reach the goal of $70,000.00 then I could pay back all the loans that this business owes to it's lenders.
If all the loans are paid back, then we could meet together, as one community to lay out a plan to be the most amazing example of human compassion that we can be.
No matter what we do as a society to grow our economy or sharpen our technological edge, we can never stray so far from each other that we forget our inherent human value.
If our community is to be vibrant, successful and competitive, I am absolutely certain that we first must remember our connection to each other.
I am asking you, very personally to be a part of this story, a part of our story.
No matter what your capacity is, we can all contribute if only by choosing to pass on this e-mail to at least two people in your 'inbox' so that they have the opportunity to do the same.
I will personally commit to post updates on our web page of the progress of this request to meet out target. Please feel free to check up on the status of this goal.
Please also feel free to download and read a couple of the attached files that have recently been published about the Organic Underground.
And finally, please come in and make sure to include yourself in this space.
My greatest success is as simple and profound as housing the moment when two strangers meet and become friends.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to be included in this amazing community, and for your consideration in contributing to it's continued success. Please consider clicking the PayPal donate button to contribute right now.
Also, now there is a "reaching our goal" link just on the left side of this page.
You can follow our progress by reading the updates posted every day.
In solidarity,
Katharine Davis
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