268. A Place at The Table: Fighting Food Insecurity with Dignity, Choice + Radical Hospitality - Maggie Kane

Maggie Kane, A Place at The Table, We Are For Good Podcast

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Overview

Meet Maggie. After spending her childhood serving in soup kitchens, she felt an awakening to bring more than a meal to those who were hungry - she wanted to bring dignity, civility and friendship too. Thus, A Place at the Table was born - Raleigh's first pay-what-you-can nonprofit cafe. She's reimagining a way to feed those in need and baking equity and community into the equation. Swoon🥰👏

💡Learn

Why it's time to reinvent the way we feed people
Lessons learned from the successful pay-what-you-can-model
Why food insecurity leads to community insecurity
Overview of mission & programs at A Place at the Table

Today’s Guest

Maggie Kane, Executive Director, A Place at the Table

“People are lonely and people need each other. Everyone is really searching for a community. They’re searching for something to be a part of and here they get that.”

— Maggie Kane, Executive Director, A Place at the Table

Episode Transcript

Download Full Episode Transcript Here

Episode highlights

Maggie’s story and journey to where she is today (4:00)
Meet the mission: A Place at the Table (11:00)
A Place at the Table’s unique “pay what you can” model and why it is working (19:00)
What Maggie has learned along the way of starting a nonprofit and about dignity (20:00)
A powerful story of when she witnessed community at this organization (23:00)
Funding this dream and partnering with the community (27:00)
Dreams for A Place at the Table (29:00)
A powerful moment of philanthropy in Maggie’s life (31:00)
Maggie’s One Good Thing: Ask for help and celebrate everything. (33:00)

powerful quotes

“What I found was I didn't get to spend long with folks I didn't get to, you know, we didn't get to sit for for a while.” -Maggie

“The model really does work, and those barriers are broken down.” -Maggie

“We give cloth napkins for a reason. It's one of our most expensive weekly cost couple months.” -Maggie

“Food is my love language. Food is that tool that brings people together.” -Maggie

“We always have a door greeter. They know that is the most important thing we do. When you walk in the door, no matter who you are, you are going to get the exact same spiel and be greeted no matter what.” -Maggie

“Here there are no barriers, you are welcome no matter what, and we make sure you know that.” -Maggie

“We are a hand up vs. a hand out.” -Maggie

“People want to be around people that treat them with dignity.” -Maggie

“Every single day we are questioning how dignified we are. How can we keep being more dignified? We will never stop asking that question.” -Maggie

“Yes we’re fighting food insecurity, but we’re fighting community insecurity.” -Maggie

“People are lonely and people need each other. Everyone is really searching for a community. They’re searching for something to be a part of and here they get that.” -Maggie

“We know that folks are there because they want a community to be a part of.” -Maggie

“Table is friendraising. Building friends along the way, building community who have made it happen and continue to make it happen.” -Maggie

“40% of our revenue is from fundraising and it’s mostly from individuals.” -Maggie

“Individuals are the reasons this has happened and continued to happen.” -Maggie

“Community is the thing powering this engine.” -Maggie

connect with maggie

connect with a place at the table

Website / Instagram / Facebook / Twitter

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