Chuck Sonner, the Winlock/Vader Food Bank director, points to where towards one end of the building that he plans to build a thrift store and cafe above the food bank in downtown Winlock on Friday afternoon.
Donated kitchen utensils sit in a box in the space above the Winlock/Vader Food Bank on Friday afternoon in downtown Winlock. Chuck Sonner, the director of the Winlock/Vader Food Bank, plans to build a cafe and thrift store above the current location of the food bank.
The space above the current location of the Winlock/Vader Food Bank is currently being transitioned into a cafe and thrift store in downtown Winlock.
Chuck Sonner, the director of the Winlock/Vader Food Bank, talks about his plans to build a cafe and thrift store above the current location of the food bank in downtown Winlock.
Chuck Sonner, the Winlock/Vader Food Bank director, walks through the space where he plans to build a cafe and thrift store above the food bank in downtown Winlock on Friday afternoon.
Chuck Sonner, the Winlock/Vader Food Bank director, points to where towards one end of the building that he plans to build a thrift store and cafe above the food bank in downtown Winlock on Friday afternoon.
Rolls of carpet and linoleum were on the floor and a toilet stood in the middle of the room Friday afternoon.
Chuck Sonner, director of the Winlock-Vader Food Bank at First and Fir Streets in Winlock, admitted that he likely won’t make his original June 2 opening date for the new cafe, but he still intends to open the thrift store that day.
Winlock’s new eatery will likely open the following week on June 9.
The decision to open the shop and cafe came following the 2014 closure of Winlock’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church, one of the food bank’s biggest monetary donors at about $5,000 annually.
Other donations are also down this year. While the food bank has reserves, Sonner, who has been director of operation for about 18 months, said it was a question of how long they would last.
The food bank needed a new revenue source for costs such as utilities and rent, so the idea to open a cafe and shop was born.
“It’s a learning process,” he said about his role as director, though he does have previous business experience.
Sonner and a crew of volunteers have been working on getting the storefront above the food bank in downtown Winlock ready for about a month. By doing the work themselves and purchasing used materials and equipment, he estimates he has spent $3,000 on startup costs.
Sonner has left the cafe’s menu up to his cook, but told her to keep it simple with doughnuts and coffee for breakfast and soup and sandwiches for lunch to start. The cook will be the only paid employee; volunteers will staff the cafe and second-hand store.
“We can’t afford more than that,” Sonner said.
He hopes the shop and the cafe will generate a total of $6,000 to $8,000 profit annually, which will go toward the food bank.
The food bank gives its patrons about $50 worth of food per month, Sonner estimates. Last month, 268 families were served.
A voucher program for those in need for the thrift shop is also in the works.
“(The) purpose is to try and help in anyway we can … in town,” he said.
Starting out, Sonner plans to be open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Donations for the store have been accumulating for the past two weeks. If anyone is interested in donating, they can stop by during the food bank’s operating hours on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sonner has about seven volunteers ready to help with the cafe and store, but he said he is looking for more.
