Ross Carper

Hey friends! Welcome to I’ll Walk with You, this is Rhonda Monson, one of your hosts.
To introduce you to our next guest I want to tell you about an experience I had.
I had heard from several different people about a restaurant here in Spokane
Washington called Feast World Kitchen, a restaurant that helps local refugees and
immigrants which definitely speaks to my heart. So, my husband and I, and a dear
friend decided to go have lunch there.
The food was great and the service was fantastic, but little did I know how much this lunch date would touch my heart. I loved seeing the diversity and hearing about the good that this restaurant does to help others. And we had the opportunity of meeting our guest for this episode of I’ll Walk with You, Ross Carper, one of the Co-Founders of Feast World Kitchen. When I asked Ross if he would be willing to be a guest on our podcast, he graciously accepted my invitation.
In this episode you will hear about all the good work that Ross and others are doing to bless the lives of others here in Spokane. We also talk about scriptures that teach us to love one another and much more.
Feast World Kitchen is a non-profit organization and restaurant that empowers refugee and immigrant community members through a variety of programs. Ross currently serves as Feast’s Director of Development and Community Care. Ross is a social entrepreneur who is always involved in a variety of community building initiatives in Spokane’s lower south hill neighborhood. Ross and his wife Autumn are also busy raising their three beautiful daughters: Caroline, Iris, and Mira.
It was an absolute joy talking with Ross and getting to hear more of his story and the work he is doing to bless the lives of others. Thank you again Ross for being our guest and thank you listeners for joining us. We think you are going to love this episode.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:14

Hey friends, welcome to I'll walk with you. This is Rhonda Monson, one of your hosts. To introduce you to our next guest, I want to tell you about an experience I had. I had heard from several different people about a restaurant here in Spokane, Washington called Feast World Kitchen. A restaurant that helps local refugees and immigrants, which definitely speaks to my heart. So my husband and I and a dear friend decided to go have lunch there. The food was great and the service was fantastic. But little did I know how much this lunch date would truly touch my heart. I loved seeing the diversity and hearing about the good that this restaurant does to help others. And we had the opportunity of meeting our guest for this episode of I'll Walk With You, Ross Carper, one of the co-founders of Feast World Kitchen. When I asked Ross if he would be willing to be a guest on our podcast, he graciously accepted my invitation. In this episode, you will hear about all the good work that Ross and others are doing to bless the lives of others here in Spokane. We also talk about different scriptures that teach us to love one another and much more. Feast World Kitchen is a nonprofit organization and restaurant that empowers refugee and immigrant community members through a variety of programs. Ross currently serves as Feast Director of Development and Community Care. Ross is a social entrepreneur who is always involved in a variety of community-building initiatives in Spokane's Lower South Hill neighborhood. Ross and his wife Autumn are also busy raising their three beautiful daughters, Caroline, Iris, and Mira. It was an absolute joy talking with Ross and getting to hear more of his story and the work he is doing to bless the lives of others. Thank you again, Ross, for being our guest. And thank you, listeners, for joining us. We think you're really going to love this episode.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Hello and welcome back to I'll Walk With You, the podcast where we have conversations about how we can all be more unified on our walkthrough life together. My name is Dakota Moses.

SPEAKER_04 2:31

I'm Rhonda Monson, and this is our guest, Ross Carper. I had the opportunity to meet Ross just really quickly and briefly, but um I had heard about this restaurant downtown called Feast World Kitchen. Downtown Spokane for those listeners, but um it's called Feast World Kitchen, and it is a restaurant, and Ross, you can correct me anytime, but it is a restaurant that helps our local immigrants. Um each day of the week it has a different menu. They have a different chef come in who's from a different country, who provides a different meal um for the day. And um all the proceeds go to help the immigrants or all some to cover the rent of the building, if if I got that correct.

unknown 3:25

Right.

SPEAKER_02 3:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:26

But all the volunteers, like the servers, were all volunteers. Um and I loved it. The food was good, the service was great, and just seeing what's happening in our community made my heart really happy because we do live in a time where um I personally worry about things. I I personally um want to see more love, want to see more unity, want to see more connection. And so I had the opportunity, Ross, you came to our table and I'm like, hey, would you be interested in being on a podcast? So that was my whole introduction with you. Like it was just like, hey, I'm this random woman who's doing a podcast with her son. I want you as a guest because what you are doing absolutely ties into the message that we are trying to share.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 4:22

Thank you so much for being here. So please introduce yourself.

SPEAKER_00 4:26

Yeah, of course. I'm glad to be here. And yeah, you did a good job of describing our day-to-day uh a little bit at Feast World Kitchen. Uh again, I'm Ross Carper. I'm one of the co-founders of Feast, and um I'm currently director of development and community care, which is a long title. That means I raise money, do a lot of um overseeing the programs in our organization that are more social services based than the food service-based. Um so Feast started in 2019. Um, it was a group of us in our neighborhood, really, uh, the Lower South Hill neighborhood that's just just south of the restaurant building. Um, there's a bunch of us that came together and and just had this idea to create a cooperative kitchen space where immigrants and refugees could cook food from their original home culture, uh, and share that with Spokane, and that that could be a hub for a lot of other things, um, you know, community building, um, of course, earning income, um, vital income that helps people uh further establish their lives, careers, small businesses, all kinds of things here in the US and in Spokane. And but we knew and we hoped and prayed that it would become more than just a way to earn money, that it would become a place to build skills and connections and relationships. Um, because that's we all need that. We all need this, we all need a network of support. Um in especially when things are hard and things are hard and and have been, uh it's always a challenge to go to a new place and and rebuild your life. Um, most of the folks we work with um had to flee their original home country because of war or violence or abuse or or something, uh, famine, uh, racism, you know, and we want to, you know, embody hospitality and create a space where people can um know that they're not alone. Just like the the name of your podcast, I love it. Um, that we're together, that we we walk together in life, we meet one another, even from different and varying backgrounds, and we we can move forward together uh and build a stronger community um as we are curious about one another and learn about each other's cultures, backgrounds, religion, whatever, uh family customs and things like that. Um so it it has become a really beautiful community uh down there. So yeah, thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_04 7:20

That's so great. How did you get involved? I mean, you said it was just you and your community, but how did that start?

SPEAKER_00 7:27

Yeah. Yeah, so it I could talk for five hours about how this came together, and honestly, it feels kind of miraculous that that that it did come together, but um back in you know 2018, 2019, and and before that, I I had a um I had a job at and I was doing ministry at first Presbyterian Church downtown, Spokane. It's kind of the big gothic Harry Potter castle by the freeway that um if people are familiar down the city. That's right, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:11

Yeah, I've been there a couple times for the one of the traditions.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

Um and so that's my church community. I I worked there, I was doing youth ministry for a long time, but I moved into a role um that uh is more of a community engagement role. And a part of my job, I mean, most of my job was just activating the members of our church to serve in the community, um, to not just, you know, attend a service every week or whatever, but to actually try to embody the love that we talk about when we talk about God being love. And we when we talk about what it looks like to love your neighbor and welcome the stranger, all these things that um that you know were are some pretty clear marketing orders um in my faith tradition uh and yours as well. Um you know, it's it's important to have new ways to experiment in actually doing that instead of just learning about it and building knowledge. So so I I was doing a lot of this kind of work, just like partnering with local nonprofits and different things, um, just getting people out in the community. And my favorite part of my job was activating teams of volunteers who would welcome refugee families. And it was my favorite part because I always learned so much and and felt humbled and and felt intrigued and interested. Whenever I met someone, you know, we would even meet people at the airport, you know, people who had lived in a refugee camp for years and years, you know, in um, you know, anywhere around the world, and they were arriving uh through the resettlement program, and they were this was their new home. And so as someone who was born and raised in Spokane, um, it became a real passion of mine to just try to be hospitable and welcome people to our city. Um and I was always just so um honored to to meet these families who have been through so much, but also bring so much to our community in terms of you know, just different ways of life and and and these teams of volunteers would kind of adopt a family and and just help them get settled in the US with things that, you know, of course they have some more formal casework, but there's always more that can be done and things that aren't, you know, that kind of slip through the cracks or things that just, you know, aren't on the list of those caseworkers. And so we just ended up um forming these teams in partnership with World Relief at the time. Um and it was a joy. Um at the same time, that was a part-time position. The other half of my time, um, I owned a breakfast food truck. So I was a food entrepreneur myself. I loved um the way food can bring people together. And I had a food truck that was actually based in my neighborhood on the Lower South Hill, where I would set up a few mornings a week on the weekends and serve breakfast to my neighbors. And it was a walkable food option that you know brought a lot of people together that maybe live nearby one another but don't know each other. So it created a space. And that's kind of what I'm all about as uh entrepreneurs, seeing if I can create spaces for really good things to happen. And as a person of faith, you know, I feel like my call is to create spaces where maybe God can move in those things, you know. Um, but I wasn't the only one who started Feast World Kitchen. Um, there were a couple other folks in the neighborhood who also were food entrepreneurs. Um, you know, one was doing this pop-up weekly takeout thing on Thursdays, uh, where his name is Dan and is Dan. And he um he served Thai and Indian curries every week. And he would have a lot of guest chefs with him, and he did a monthly dinner series for that would, you know, focus in on one of the immigrant cultures that's here in Spokane, um, and have a family cook that would, you know, they would sell tickets and they'd have music from that culture and and all sorts of things, and the family would get the proceeds from that. Um, and so that was kind of happening. And then uh my our executive director currently, Maisa, um, is herself an asylum seeker from Jordan. And she she lived in the neighborhood just a couple blocks from where I was doing my food truck. And I met her, and she's just a dynamic leader. Um, she's just, you know, she has so much energy and joy and ability to not only cook incredible food, and she was doing some some catering small business herself to earn income. But she also has an ability to bring people together and rally people. And so it was kind of this team of the three of us and several other neighbors who formed um the original board of Feast, and many of them are still with us, um, still on the board. Um, you know, we we've been going since 2019, and this, you know, old restaurant building that was in terrible condition was up for sale in 2019, and we started to think like, you know, someone should really take, you know, should buy that restaurant and figure out a way to make a commercial kitchen where refugees and immigrants can cook their amazing food and make income from it. And I had started doing some informal things where, you know, if we were having a church event, maybe I would, instead of ordering chipotle or or whatever buffet or something, like if we needed food for the event, instead of doing that, the church has a commercial kitchen. So we would actually um hire one of one of the families we knew um who who had some really unique cuisine to share to come in and cook for the event. And they would, and that income meant a lot to them. You know, when you're just starting out cooking a meal for 40 people and earning $500 or something, um, that can make a huge difference paying the bills. And so we were just seeing like, okay, there's something here uh when you know Spokane isn't the most diverse place. Um and and so this model could work here where we could have some cuisines that aren't maybe as available as in bigger cities, um, and that that could be a place where uh folks could could earn income and and could move things forward and and of course make connections and relationships too. So um, yeah. So I said, you know, we were thinking, you know, someone should do this. And then throughout like the spring of 2019, that building was just sitting there. It was right across the street from my church at Third and Cedar. Um, it had been an Arctic Circle for a long time. Yeah, I remember which was like a burgers and shakes place. And then for nine years it was a sushi place, and that that owner was selling the building and uh focusing on his location in Airway Heights, and and it was just sitting there and and uh it just sat and we slowly but surely we started saying, well, yeah, someone should do that. Well, maybe we should do that. And you know, we were seeing the the policies and rhetoric about immigrants and refugees really hitting an all-time low as far as what it felt like for us um in our lifetimes um by the administration back then. Um and in my opinion, it's gotten even way worse the second time around. And I'm not here to talk about politics or or anything like that um in terms of you know partisan politics. I'm just um always interested in, you know, for me, how can our society be um the type of world that I want to live in, the type of place that I want to my wife and I to raise our three daughters in. And and when you're seeing um the way that leadership speaks about and and acts toward immigrants and refugees, um, we just felt like, well, we could just be mad about it, or we could just like fight with our extended family on Facebook about it. Or um, and members of our church who have differences of opinion, you know.

SPEAKER_02 17:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:10

Or we could just create a positive space um where maybe some different narratives could emerge about refugees and immigrants. So that's just kind of how things started. And and we we ended up convincing uh we, you know, we formed a board and convinced the first Presbyterian Church to buy the building and rent it to our new nonprofit.

unknown 17:31

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 17:32

Um and we were like, well, maybe this will work, and and it really has. Uh the community has stepped up in so many ways. Um, like you said, volunteering, customers, um, people hiring these families to cater events. Um, and it's just been an incredible adventure, uh, not without its stresses and and difficulties, but but definitely um meaningful.

SPEAKER_04 17:59

That is so beautiful. My husband and I, we had the opportunity to go on a mission for our church um in Kenya. And so we were there for 10 months because we had to wait for visas for a couple months to come through. But um, the love that we have of the people there, and we had the opportunity to work with some young missionaries, and two that we particularly became very fond of were from a refugee camp that ended up joining our church there in the refugee camp and came and served a mission and just knowing a tiny bit about their experience. I really love these missionaries a lot, these young men. Um, but we need more love, we need more kindness, we need more inclusion in this world. We we need it, we need it. Um we need not to look at the difference of skin color or the difference of anything. Like that shouldn't be what holds us back from any person. Um, we need to wrap our arms around each other. And, you know, like you were pointing out, like, how do we do what God commanded us to do, right? Love your neighbor as yourself, and our neighbor isn't just the person next door, which we need to love them too. But our neighbor is everyone, our neighbor is all the people who are different than us, you know, and it's it's not a matter of oh, you're different, I'm gonna keep my distance. The we should be like, oh, you're different. I want to get to know you. I want to hear your story. Tell me more so that I can love you, like I'm commanded to love you.

SPEAKER_00 19:47

Absolutely. Oh, I love that. I mean, I mean, again, as a person of faith, it's like I believe that the more of God's people I know, the more of God I know. And because, you know, God is the source of of all the beauty in the world. And so when we meet different folks and or taste different foods or different things, um, we're literally getting a taste at feast. I think we're getting a taste of of who God is. And and that's, you know, feast is not, yes, we're the building is owned by the Presbyterian church across the street. And I, you know, my motivation is pretty clear uh already through this interview. But um, and and many of the board members are in the same spot faith-wise as me, but it's also a multi-faith, multi-ethnic um organization. Uh Maisa is a Muslim. Um, you know, she's our executive director. We have board members of of all different uh backgrounds and faiths, or or people who don't hold a religious faith, but a line on the the mission of love for this the person who is has um has come to this place um to establish their lives and raise their kids and and build um a life and contribute to our our culture, um, our society. And you know, there's there's a lot um there's a lot there uh when it comes to what I believe America is supposed to be is is this is a place where most of us are not indigenous, like our family backgrounds. And so um, you know, there's a lot of history there that we could certainly talk about, but um but where we're at is that we I believe that this place is better when when people bring who they are and and and contribute in some way. And there's all kinds of studies about the economics of refugees and immigrants. And how they contribute to our economy a lot. And of course, we do a lot of, we sell a lot of food. We participate in the economy and it is a kind of an economic engine down at feast where the when you ate lunch there, um and I was so glad to see you and meet you, those dollars, you know, they didn't go to a corporation based in, you know, Atlanta or something. Those food, your purchase, um, that money went to the family that cooked that food, who was doing small business activity in the kitchen that day. And so we're open Wednesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. Um, and each day has a different um cuisine. And usually we have maybe 30 or 40 chefs who are actively uh featured in the restaurant. Um and we've we've had almost 200 families cook with us so far since 2019. Wow. And and that's um, you know, it's it's just a joy to see them. They they get maybe 12 to 24 times to be featured in the restaurant for the day. And as they're doing that, they're going through job skills, leadership skills, small business incubation, um, just really whatever it is that they need um to to you know start where they are right now, meet where they're at, meet people where they're at, and then help them take the next steps toward flourishing. And sometimes that looks like opening a small business. Um, and and really all of them are small business owners because they're doing this um this micro enterprise food business in our kitchen. Um, they're not employees, they rent the space for the day. And then we do have some employees who make sure that you know everything is safe and dishwashers and cashiers. But most of the people, like you said, that are working there um throughout the day are volunteers who agree that we want to make our community better by extending hospitality to immigrants and refugees. Um, so so that's our chef program. Um, we also have, like I said, there's a whole other side of the house that's related. Um, and that's uh our table time program. And we launched that in 2022 because we're seeing, okay, uh selling food is great. We love it, and we love how food can bring people together, but there's a whole variety of other uh barriers and goals um that people have that really aren't quite as related to food business. Um, it could be finding more affordable housing, um, you know, navigating paperwork for medic medical insurance or uh or you know, having a resume that that can help them get a better job, um, developing English language skills. And so we have um a whole program that we established where we just have a drop-in uh spot in the restaurant. Um we we saw how much impact we were making in the kitchen, and so we wanted to do the same thing in the dining room and just offer an open table, um, literal seats at the table for people to just come um and share with us about what what they're trying to accomplish to move forward. And word has gotten out in those international communities that you can come and and receive some really unique support. And myself and there's three women who their job is dedicated to that. Two of them are themselves former refugees who speak the languages and understand the culture.

SPEAKER_04 25:55

Beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 25:55

Um, and so they can really um help folks move forward. And so in a variety of ways, we're we've had some amazing stories come out of that um program as well, um, where whether people want to cook food or not, they can come in and and say, Hey, how do I how do I get a better job? Yeah, you know, and so those those three women are community resource navigators. Um they're certain you know, certified community health workers. They they um really just help people navigate um and move toward a a healthier and more flourishing life.

SPEAKER_01 26:37

That's incredible.

SPEAKER_04 26:39

That's amazing. I I just heard, I think you told me about V Sworld Kitchen. I think you did, and it just kind of like, you know, sadly. And then I have like the sister's lunch with a bunch of my girlfriends that we go to lunch every couple of months, you know. And one of them was recommended your restaurant, and and one of them was like, Oh, I don't do foreign food very well. So we didn't go there, but it just kind of stuck in my mind um because she really explained it and it was where I read it, you know, kind of thing. So it stuck in my head more. And I was like, I I want to try this. And my husband and I were getting to lunch with a friend, and he's like, I want to go someplace different. And I'm like, okay, let's try this place. And I am, I was so happy. Like walking in, because like you said, Spokane is not a very diverse place. I live up on the nice, we both do, on the north side of Spokane Mead School District area. It's not very diverse at all. You know, I he's Native American, so he's he's the diversity. But just walking in, my husband, who's from California, we were just like, this is fantastic. And our friend who's from Western Washington, would we were just so happy to be where there were people of different color, people with different languages, and just like, yes, we need more of that, more togetherness. Um, I I love, I can't emphasize love like big enough what you are about and what you are doing. Um, I do want to know how I could help or Dakota could help, or how possibly I could talk to, you know, like um we have the Release Society, it's a women's organization for our church. It's actually the largest women's organization in the world. I would like to know if there's something we could do to help um make a difference, um, have an impact to um in our community of Spokane, Washington, where we do have refugees, where we do have immigrants who who need us. Because I'm spoiled. I I I live in a very nice, you know, it's not super fancy, but I live in a very nice house. I drive my car. I I'm spoiled. I I know very keenly. I like I said, I was in Kenya. I know very well I am very spoiled, you know. Um, God has blessed me, and I I don't know why. I just get to be grateful, but I also get to reach out to others then. Like I feel like that's that's where much is given, much is required. And so I feel like that's that's what God says, you know.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

Like Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 29:40

So tell me how we can help. How can we make a difference?

SPEAKER_00 29:44

Well, thanks for asking. And I my background and is really similar. I I graduated from Mead High School in 2000. I live on the north I lived on the north side at the time. Of course, now I live in the neighborhood that where our restaurant is in Lower South Hill. But but yeah, that that's my upbringing is just like, you know, everyone has a story, and and I think sometimes there's like even a little bit of guilt or like saying, you know, and that's okay to say like I'm spoiled and and that's fine, you know. And materially, like, yeah, we we are in the richest country in the history of the world. And, you know, it's there's affordability challenges for a lot of folks, but for those of us who do live a comfortable life in this society, like um it is important to ask that question that you asked. You know, you quoted Luke 12, right? Like, hey, from those who have been given much, much is expected. And if that's if again, that's part of your marching orders, then that is um, that will lead you to an adventure if you're gonna say, okay, how do I take the privilege that I've been given? Um, the gifts, talents, passions, money, time, whatever, um, in order to make an impact, um, particularly where God's heart is, um, which is those who are marginalized, those who are hurting, those who are poor, like all throughout, you know, the scripture in our traditions, it's like this is pretty central. And other, you know, faith traditions as well. Um, you know, and and so I love that. Um, and I guess some really practical ways to help. Um there's always volunteer opportunities at feast in both programs that I mentioned. The chef program, um, as you experienced, most of the servers in the restaurant are volunteers who are there for three hours. Um they enjoy the time, you know, they have a few tables to take care of to make sure that everything goes smoothly. There's some training, you know, you have to get a food worker card and all of these things. But um, and then of course, at the end of your shift, you do get a really good meal that you can sit down and eat um during the break between lunch and dinner, or or you know, after dinner, um, or you can take that home, you know. And so, yeah, people do uh engage that way, and it's just a fun thing. Uh, we have a lot of retired folks who um it's just a fun thing that they try to do once a week is just come in and work a shift. And, you know, some of them say, hey, this reminds me of when I was in college. I worked at a restaurant or and it and you know, it's we try to make it not too stressful on the volunteers. We try to carry the burden of stressful times um and just allow them to have a few tables to take care of. Um, that helps a ton. And we we couldn't do what we do without volunteers. You know, like I said, the food sales, that revenue goes to the family that cooked that food. Um, they've they brought in the ingredients usually the night before. They they, you know, we help them source those ingredients at appropriate, you know, commercial locations. They they bring them in uh and usually just start prepping late at night, you know, when the other team is finished from the that day, the next team comes in or early in the morning. And so they they get the revenue from those sales, um, minus some kitchen use fees and things like that. But it's a good day for them because it's most restaurants, the people who are sweating it out in the back, get a small slice of the pie in terms of the money that comes to the door. Um, and we flip that upside down, you know. It's it's um it's a good day for them. So if you, for example, some families like if you clean hotel rooms at the Davenport Hotel, um, that's your date job. And that's the job that you could get based on the English level that you have.

SPEAKER_02 33:54

Right.

SPEAKER_00 33:55

Um, you know, if you make a couple thousand dollars in one day, and it is a big day, and it includes planning beforehand, shopping, prepping, cleanup, all the things and debriefing, planning. So it's not just one day, but if you if you make, you know, maybe almost as much income in one day as you make in three weeks at your regular job, yeah, that can really help you move forward in terms of reaching your goals. Incredible. Absolutely. Anyway, so volunteering that helps make that possible. Um, and those families use that income to do all kinds of things. Um, I will say that a lot of that um money stays local and they, you know, buy a reliable car so that they can take their elderly family members to doctor's appointments, or they, you know, it's not easy to get around here on the bus as much as it is in other cities. So um uh so they'll do that, or they'll, you know, invest in their business. They want to like continue going on with food business, so they'll squirrel that money away for the equipment permits and things they need to start a catering company or a or a pop-up events or a food truck or even a restaurant. We've had a few people launch restaurants um out of our space, including Arabian Palace out on East Sprague. Um that's a Syrian former refugee family that was one of our original chefs, and they're they're busy. Um they are doing great work and they um they're open seven days a week. I don't know how they do it, but um but you know they're motivated, and and you know, that's something that it's not typical. Starting a restaurant is super hard. Yeah, and so we're not we're not trying to steer people into that unless they truly understand what that means, lifestyle-wise, uh debt, risk, costs. Um but some do. And immigrants have all succeeded in the U.S. owning restaurants. So we never want to say no for people, but for the majority of our folks, um, the food entrepreneurship is a side hustle as they're continuing to build their career. Um, or they might get a really great job, you know, in another person's food business if they want to be in that industry. But some people take the money and use it to go to nursing school, you know, to to just really build their career. So, and we're we love that. What we want, you know, it's not just feast is not a program for incubating restaurants, although that does happen sometimes. Uh, we really want to incubate flourishing, whatever that looks like for the for the family, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:35

Um, and of course, donations, like that, you know, you ask how to help. I would be a bad development director if I didn't mention that. But you know, for us to pay our staff and for us to, you know, have everything, the permits, the insurance, the safety, you know, all the things that we need to do this. Um, and to and to pay those folks that run that, uh, that do the casework, the community resource navigation. Um, you know, we do rely on donations and grants um to operate um as part of our model. Of course, when you buy a beverage or a t-shirt like this one, or you know, um, that money comes, you know, supports our programs too. Um, but we do have some volunteers who are a little more highly trained embedded in that social services program, the the tabletime program. Um, and sometimes it'll be, you know, a retired woman who says, you know, I'm available um to give rides to medical appointments or something. And and so women who really need to to access you know health care and and really don't have a lot of ability to move around as much, um, you know, that can be a a help. Or we have a retired doctor who she she meets once a week and just does some English tutoring with with the kids in one of these families um that we work with. Um and it can be a variety of things. Um but at the very beginning of our conversation, I mentioned these these teams of people who adopt a family. We've come back to that. Um that's something that you know I was doing that way back 2013, you know. Um, but we've come back to that as a model that really works because you know, having a resume or, you know, speaking English, those things are important. But what we need the most are relationships with with people and friendships. And that makes the biggest difference for people feeling feeling like they can take steps forward. And so we have we call them supportive friends teams, and it's usually a group of maybe six to ten people, often from a church or or a you know, friend group or neighborhood group or something, and they go through some training and background checks and all the things. And then they're they get placed with one family who who wants that sort of um connection and needs some help. You know, we know people who, you know, single moms who have seven kids, like and lived most of their life in a refugee camp. You know, in Chad, you know, like the those are folks who need a lot more um kind of ongoing support than the refugee resettlement program can offer. So it's it's uh it's pretty amazing work to just be in relationship. And you know, those teams always, you know, get more out of the experience than they feel like they give. Um and you're just um a part a part of folks' lives and and you commit to six months and and kind of once a week contact. It's not like every single team member has to be there once a week, but you know, maybe there's a standing appointment on Sunday afternoon where you know someone from the team or a few are gonna visit that single mom and and just talk about how things are going or go through the mail and and look through, okay, here's some papers that really need to get filled out for the kids' school or whatever. And and that, you know, it's just a practical thing, but it's more of a relational thing as well.

unknown 40:46

Right.

SPEAKER_00 40:46

That's incredible.

SPEAKER_03 40:48

Do you have a website? I'm assuming you have a website.

SPEAKER_00 40:51

Yeah, feastworldkitchen.org. Perfect. Um but it's you know, if you go to a search engine, just type in feast spokane, you'll find it. And you'll see all the ways you can engage. Um, you know, the very basic level, just coming down to eat. You know, come in and try a meal.

SPEAKER_04 41:12

Yeah. Um and then go the next day or the next week and have a different meal.

SPEAKER_00 41:18

Well, yeah, and that's you know, that's one thing about our model that is pretty cool for for people who do have financial resources. We we know some folks who, you know, they don't like to cook and maybe they have money, and you know, there's one guy who, boy, since the beginning, it's been multiple times a week, he'll come and pick up takeout, you know. Because he has resources and he's and he he wants to like try these foods. He loves he's very globally minded, but he's like our number one over you know customer of all time because um our menu changes all the time, so it's not like oh I had feast yesterday, I I can't have it today. It's like oh yeah, yeah, uh and people start to follow the families that they love their food, and you know, and then that leads to more connection and hey, can you cater my daughter's graduation party and and all that? So so we do cater events as well um with our with our chef partners.

SPEAKER_04 42:23

That is so great. I oh my gosh, I am so grateful to have you on here again. What you are doing ties into the message that we've been trying trying to share um perfectly. Um I the scripture just keeps coming to me, and of course, we're talking about loving your neighbor, but where that story comes from is the good Samaritan story, right? Who is my neighbor? And I love that story so much, and I love the fact that Jesus Christ points out good Samaritan. Because the Samaritans at that time were hated and seen as lesson by the Jews, and he's talking to a Jew at that time, and it's the good Samaritan. And I think about whenever we're struggling with a person, you know, or a group of people, or a group of people, uh, let's put good in front of that. If the savior was talking to us, you know, would he say the good, whatever that we're struggling with, you know, and and to be humble and then to remember that um the savior loves all of us. All of us. I I just we need to come together as a people. And it doesn't matter what religion, it doesn't matter, if no religion, it doesn't matter, faith, no faith, it doesn't matter, skin color. We need to come together. Um it's crucial. I feel like now more than ever. Um, at least that's what my heart tells me, you know, and that's what I. But uh you are doing that. Well thank you. You are doing that. And I I thank you. I think you're being what I want to be.

SPEAKER_00 44:14

Well, you know, we all we all have opportunities every day, you know, even if you don't start a nonprofit or anything like that. Like you're just if you if you start to see through that lens of that that story, you know, um, who are the people who are beat up in our society on the side of the road? You know, and there's it's not just immigrants and refugees that are being targeted and and beaten up, you know, and it's you know, so many people. And so where do you feel like you can uh have an encounter with folks um to make a difference, you know? And yeah, and you know, I think the thing that's important to always remember is that one of our values at Feast is mutual hospitality. So it's no mistake that, like you said, the the hero of that story was a person who is other or different, you know? And so if we come in like someone like me, like comes in like, hey, I'm a white American Christian, you know, um, I'm gonna save everything. I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna fix everything. I'm gonna, I'm the one who knows what to do. And you know, that number one, it's not true, and it's it can be kind of a sickness in itself to kind of think, oh, I'm the one who can fix people's lives. It's more um what what I always find is that, you know, we need to have a posture of humility, mutuality, and I'm always learning from from folks with feast. And so there's it's not about um, you know, people who are from America helping the poor people who um came here. It's more of this mutual like network of support that include it includes all of us, and we all benefit from it. And most of our staff and board are actually immigrants or refugees themselves, um, and mostly women. You know, it's like we we I'm not the most representative of our uh leadership, um, but you know, um I'm happy to to share about it. But yeah, it really becomes um yeah, more of a mutual network where you're giving giving hospitality and receiving hospitality.

SPEAKER_01 46:47

Of course, of course. Well, and I think that it's so important that each of us, I believe that each of us has God-given talents and um and strengths and abilities and passions and curiosities. And when we I believe that when we lean into those um with the idea of um of of course, you know, developing ourselves um uh within within those talents, but with the idea of serving others, um, that we can just be so effective. I was um one of one of the books that I love reading um that's a book of scripture that isn't a Christian text is the Bhagavad Gita. Um uh uh it oh my gosh. I am thinking of the wrong faith, and it's Hindu. Hindu. I I almost said Muslim, and I'm like, no, it's not it's not Muslim. Um I was reading uh a passage in it this morning that I'm paraphrasing, of course, essentially said, um, don't don't look at somebody else fulfilling their duty and notice their success and feel bad for yourself, right? Focus on your focus on your own your own duty, your own talent, and serve others. Um and I think I kind of see things visually, right? I see Venn diagrams of how we can all overlap within our own um our own wheel of influence, our own passions, our own talents. Like I'm a singer, you know, I I'm not somebody that knows much about how to run a kitchen. You do. Um, we can all lean into what it is that we're already passionate about and use it to help serve others. And um, like you said, build that greater network of love and support and community where everyone, wherever they are, can experience the love of God, can experience um support and kinship and community. Um I think that that is so beautiful and so important to remember. You know, I can think of numerous times where, you know, I've been the person looking at somebody else's success and thinking, oh wow, you know, I need to abandon everything that I'm doing and do what they're doing. No, they're they're already doing that. Let me do what I let me do what I can do. Um, you know, my my mom is a mental health counselor, you know, she she's making an impact where where she's able. And if we are all able to have that eye single to the glory of God and um and and serve him and his people where we stand, um, I think that that's how we can really be the change that we want to see in the world, um, which is a quote that's been on my social media for as long as I've had social media. Um and I just again, I just think that that's a really beautiful thing that we can serve where we stand.

SPEAKER_04 50:22

I love that you said that because I feel like just telling our listeners who are listening, who are like, oh, I want to make a difference, um, the thing that's been on your heart, do it. Even if it was 10 years ago and you're still just like thinking, oh, I really want to do this. Like one thing Dakota and I, when he was younger, we wanted to start an LGBTQ gathering where we would talk about scripture. Like we talked about it when he was younger and came out to me and stuff like that. And we really wanted to start something like that, and we didn't, and now we have. And now once a month in in our my home, we gather, and anybody's welcome who's an ally or in the LGBTQ community who wants to just talk about scripture. We mainly talk about from the four gospels in the Bible, and we just talk about Christ and his love for all of us. And so we talked about it years ago, and it took a long time to get to where we had a space where we were in that place to create it and do it. So, listeners, if if you're like something's on your heart and you're like, I really want to do this, I'm gonna say trust that. I'm gonna say that's that's that's God saying, I I you have that unique drive to make a difference.

SPEAKER_01 51:44

He meets us where we're at, and we can meet others where they're at. Um, I I I think that I think that's um God's work through us is uh when we are able to humbly serve others um and and meet them where they're at and and exactly what the mission of feast is to help people flourish.

SPEAKER_00 52:11

That's right. No, that's that's beautiful. I love that you're I love that you have that gathering. I love that you're um you know hosting that and and helping create those kinds of spaces. Like I said, like you know, there are and it can be really simple, you know, um just starting small, like you know, like I said, I had this little food truck, or like we just started saying, well, instead of this catering company, why don't we just like bring in this family and like and you know, this can be a way to, you know, and so creating those kinds of spaces for relationship, um, that is so needed in our world. There's so many people who are hurting and starving for a real relationship. Um maybe they, you know, obviously screens and phones and social media have had their impact um, you know, for good and and also for a lot uh of negativity. And so people need these real spaces to connect and share life and uh and grow in different ways. So thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 53:24

Thank you. Like like you said, those small, those small little changes that we can all make. Uh the the scripture comes to mind by by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Um and I really, really believe that it's it's by those little micro changes and listening to that divine inspiration, that divine spark that comes uh to each of us. And uh and leaning in.

SPEAKER_03 53:52

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 53:54

Answering the call. Yeah. You know, trusting, trusting whenever I just feel like whenever our heart calls us to do something good, act on it. Even if it's like uh your friend that you haven't reached out to in a long time pops into your heart, send them a text. You know, even if it's that, you know, just anything that pops into your heart that is good, like follow through, follow through and see where God takes it.

SPEAKER_01 54:22

What would love have me do?

SPEAKER_04 54:23

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Thank you, Ross. Thank you so much. Thank you for the work you're doing, most of all. Thank you for the work you're doing.

SPEAKER_03 54:33

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 54:33

And thank you for being a guest on our podcast. I this is one that I'm like everybody in Spokane, Washington, and Cordelaine and in between. I I want them to listen to this episode and reach out and make a difference and go to your restaurant again, if nothing else, just go have a great meal. Yeah. And and help these families love them.

SPEAKER_00 54:58

Well, thank you for having me. Um glad to be glad to be uh a part of it. And yeah, I appreciate you both very much. And and I'm gonna go back and listen to other episodes because you know, this is the stuff. Like this is this is what we need to be doing. So thanks for creating this space. Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 55:20

Thank you. Thank you so much, Ross.

SPEAKER_00 55:22

We'll see you again down at the restaurant.

SPEAKER_01 55:24

Of course, absolutely. Of course, we'll be there for sure. Yes. In conclusion, I would love to hear from your perspective in your words, how you believe that we can all be more unified on our walk through life together.

SPEAKER_00 55:42

I think it's really about you know, non-judgmental curiosity, you know, like just wonder like wondering about people in a way that's healthy and in a way that leads to learning. Um you know, that that will open up a bunch of different doors for shared experiences and walking together. Um, but I think if we, you know, if you have a mindset that's closed off and has labeled a group of people, um you know, that's gonna inhibit unity, of course. Um and and so just having a an open mindset of learning and and curiosity about all of the people that are that surround you. Um I think that's that leads to that leads to unity and it leads to a bunch of different adventures that you can have. Um but yeah, we need more of that. And love. I mean I think that comes from a place of love. Um I do too.

SPEAKER_01 56:57

And yes.

unknown 56:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 56:59

Yeah. I I believe that you know there are kind of two greater choices that all of us have to live and lead by love or live and lead by fear. And one leads to incredible separation and loneliness and despair and um anger and war and hatred, and the other leads to um leads to peace and unity and laughter and friendship and camaraderie and just making the world a better place. So I would just invite everyone to, you know, lead and live with love, always first. And uh and I love what you said, um, just be curious. I think that's really become uh an overarching theme of um of this entire podcast from the beginning. Uh most people have said something very similar, um, to have a healthy sense of curiosity about one another um and to look outside of ourselves. Yeah. Yeah. So thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 58:18

Yeah. One of our merch pieces, uh, our little swag pieces, is a bumper sticker that has our logo and it says, less fear, more fallawful. I love that.

SPEAKER_03 58:30

I love that.

SPEAKER_00 58:31

And it kind of plays off of what you were saying is that if we're gonna look at immigrants and refugees with suspicion and fear, or and we're gonna just, you know, buy into those narratives that are pushed um about you know all these immigrants being dangerous and and bad and you know I don't know. It's it's leads to it doesn't lead anywhere good, like you said. Um you know, at least to violence. Um and so um as people who are called to be peacemakers, um and to be uh to be sharing love, um we need to we need to lean into love instead of fear. So thanks for saying that. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 59:25

Well, thank you so much, Ross. Truly. Thank you, thank you, thank you for joining us. You're welcome. And um we we're just so honored to have you, and we can't wait to I can't wait to go back to FeastWitch. No, I'm like I've been there once or twice.

SPEAKER_04 59:41

I need to go when we get back from Ohio.

SPEAKER_01 59:44

So excited. Will you just uh one more time tell us the uh the address for your website?

SPEAKER_00 59:51

Yeah, it's feastworldkitchen.org. And we're also on Instagram and Facebook, um, just at Feastworld Kitchen. Um wonderful.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:03

Thank you so much, Ross. Thank you for joining us, and thank you to our listeners for joining us for another week of I'll walk with you. Until next time, lead with love, not fear. We love you. Have a wonderful day. Go and be the change that you want to see in the world.