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Grace Café, the former restaurant which had to close its doors during the Covid-19 pandemic, will be opening again this fall as a pay-what-you-can food truck. The mobile restaurant will be called Grace on the Go.

They just purchased a food trailer that will be repurposed from a local business. Tyler Greene from Sunwatch Farms used the food trailer at Morley’s Backyard. But now, Greene is creating a permanent kitchen in the back of Morley’s, so he doesn’t need the trailer anymore.

Grace Café Director of Development and Communications Mary Beth Murray said it’s a great collaboration between a small business and a nonprofit for the good of the community.

The bright red trailer is the first step in creating the mobile restaurant, as they still need a truck to tow the trailer.

The non-profit recently launched a matching campaign to help raise the remaining funds. Danvillian Elizabeth Joiner stepped up to offer a matching donation of the first $6,000 raised for the needed truck. Joiner is a 2022 Centre College graduate currently enrolled at the University of Kentucky’s J. David Rosenberg College of Law.

Every dollar raised will be matched up to $6,000. To date, there is $2,262 left in the match pool to get the entire matching gift.

The overall goal is $75,000; and to date, they’ve raised over $53,000 of the capital campaign goal. Murray said they’re hoping to acquire the remaining funds by the end of the summer.

The mission of Grace on the Go will be to provide fresh, healthy food to people who may or may not be able to afford it.

“Our board wanted to think of the best way to serve the community,” said Grace Café Executive Director Jennifer Earle. “We thought a mobile food trailer would be the best option, as there are many people in this community without access to fresh food. Being mobile allows us to serve the most people compared to a brick-and-mortar store that relies on people coming to us.”

Murray explained that a crucial goal of the non-profit is creating a stronger sense of community.

“One of the big things with a community café is building connections, community, and combating isolation,” Murray said. “Poverty, isolation, and loneliness can go together. We hope that in this mobile community where we stop in neighborhoods, people will build connections with each other. You build relationships with people and can help them with other needs.”

There will be a community table at every Grace Café stop where people can eat and get to know other members of their neighborhood.

When the Grace Café first announced its return in February, there was widespread support for the nonprofit.

“We have had a lot of support,” Murray said. “We are feeling really good about hitting our original goal of $75,000 raised by the end of August. We have more fundraisers planned in the fall, like a pickleball tournament. This is a positive addition to our community, and we are excited to bring it back.”

Murray said that one of the most significant needs of the café right now is a truck to tow the trailer. At least a three-quarter-ton pickup will be required to tow the Grace Café trailer.

“It can be new or lightly used,” Murray said. “If a business would want to donate, we could show them a lot of love.”

Founded in 2015, the Grace Café was the first pay-what-you-can restaurant in Kentucky, with the trailer being the first mobile pay-what-you-can restaurant in the state. To learn more about the Grace Café and how to volunteer or donate, go to www.gracecafeky.org.