"Overjoyed, overwhelmed": Appetite For Change to be recognized during MLK breakfast
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minneapolis-based non-profit Appetite for Change will be one of two organizations honored during Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast.
The honor comes as Appetite For Change surpasses more than a decade of service. On Friday, co-founders Princess Titus and Tasha Powell reflected on their efforts from the dining room of Breaking Bread Café in North Minneapolis.
The site was fitting. Breaking Bread is a product of Appetite for Change, whose mission statement is,"We use food as a tool to build health, wealth, and social change in North Minneapolis." The restaurant opened several years back, serves as a community gathering place in addition to a place to find a delicious meal.
"In North Minneapolis, we have 38 fast food restaurants on West Broadway. There was not a sit-down restaurant in sight," Titus said. "When you think about food injustice, we almost have a closed loop system of our own services to provide fresh and local food to community members in North Minneapolis."
In addition to opening Breaking Bread, the non-profit has invested more than $3.5 million, distributed more than 300,000 meals and created jobs for nearly 100 people.
"For me to be a part of the solution, to try to solve the issue around food and I'm actually seeing it unfold right in front of my eyes, it brings a lot of joy and inspiration and hope for future generations," Powell said.
As for being recognized on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the two say it's a tremendous honor.
"I'm sitting here living his dream not just for what he wanted for his community, not just for his people, but for people throughout the world to come together and love each other and share that love amongst everyone," Powell said.
