By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer
The cupboard is bare as Universoul Cafe, one of Sacramento’s leading food recovery organizations, reels from a recent break-in and robbery at its Del Paso Heights headquarters.
“Tens of thousands of dollars in equipment were stolen, wiping out years of work, investment, and impact built in service to the city’s most vulnerable communities,” said Tonya Mack, who founded Universoul Cafe back in Nov. 2019.
Stored food items were also stolen, Mack said.
Universoul Cafe specializes in rescuing high-quality surplus food from hotels, restaurants and large events, transforming it into ready-made meals for hungry families across Sacramento. The organization has served more than one million meals to the community.
In addition to helping address local food insecurity, Universoul Cafe is committed to workforce development and partners with The Young Gents, a mentoring program for young men from North Sacramento. Participants gain kitchen skills, financial literacy, job preparedness, and life planning tools.
Mack has vowed to continue serving the community, despite the setback. The Universoul Cafe continues its Turnip The Beat lot restoration project near the Greater Sacramento Urban League on August 9 and September 13. The events include back to school pop up activities.
“The work continues, but the need for support is urgent,” said Creative Director Andru Defeye.
The Universoul Cafe welcomes community support through a GoFundMe recovery fundraiser, for more information, visit https://gofund.me/72f614c9) or for more ways to help, contact Andru@UniversoulCafe.com.