Today we’d like to introduce you to Leola Daul
Hi Leola, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Heart-n-Soul Community Cafe started in 2016. I saw the idea of a community cafe in a magazine in 2013. The idea of a pay what you can afford cafe to help people in your community in need of meal where guests pay what they can, volunteer or pay it forward really resonated with me. I started talking to community members who served individuals experiencing poverty and individuals not having assess to healthy food. I talked to Public Health employees, dieticians. and individuals in our city offices to name a few. Everyone thought the idea of a community cafe was a good idea, however, they weren’t ready to take a leap of faith.
The idea included volunteers serving, volunteer chefs, and guests who would believe in the pay it forward model. In 2016, I met Tracy Walvatne who at the time, owned Josies Corner Cafe in Fargo. We met at a Chef’s Association meeting that I was speaking at about community cafes. It was the first time she had attended the meeting in sometime and I hadn’t attended in awhile either. I believe it was serendipity that made our paths crossed on that warm day in May. Tracy offered for a pop-up Pay -what -you can -cafe on the spot! We were given use of their space on Sundays when the restaurant she ran was closed. Around that time, I had also been visiting with some dietician students from North Dakota State University. When they heard we had a space they were ready to cook. Thanks to the generosity of Tracy and the NDSU students, we had our first pop up Heart-n-Soul Community Cafe June 12 ,2016. And things have grown incredibly since 2016. There are so many amazing community partners and volunteers that help us insure everyone has a healthy meal. A year into the pandemic we purchased a food trailer so we could get out into the community and gather people and serve a meal outside. So much of Heart-n-Soul’s mission includes encouraging positive connections and providing delicious food for overall wellbeing of our community members. In March of 2020 when we had to shut down due to the pandemic, however, we were allowed to continue with the sack lunch program we had started in late 2019. We lovingly call ourselves the “Lunch Bunch”. A group of seven to ten volunteers prepared lunches that included a meat and cheese sandwich, fruit, vegetable, chips and dessert. We also included a homemade greeting card that provided those who received lunches an inspiring message to encourage them to stay strong during the pandemic. During the two meal pandemic time, 500 meals were packaged and delivered around the area. We still have our lunch bunch volunteers and now deliver 400 lunches every other week. In 2024 we served over 8800 meals with our pay what you can model. Over 75% of our guests, volunteered, paid what they could, or used a donation token for their meal. We are excited to continue to serve in 2025!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely been a journey of ups and downs.
Thankfully more positives than negatives. It has been a dream of mine since 2013 to bring people together and serve delicious and nutritious food to no matter people’s circumstances. Living in Fargo most of my life I knew we lived in a generous community. I also knew we have community members who are hungry and need a meal and conversations.
One thing I struggled with initially was having enough time to devote to Heart N Soul. I was working a job full-time while working to start a nonprofit and that meant many long days. I am so grateful for the moral support of family and friends during this time. They offered to volunteered at our first cafes, helped with flyers and menus, and were guest chefs! We would not be serving today without their generous hearts!
Everyone who worked with the Cafe were volunteers until June of 2021. In June of 2022 I took another leap of faith and left my full-time job and started working part time jobs so that I could spend more time on Heart-n-Soul. This was a challenging time as I tried to meet my own personal finances and keep the cafe on track.
Since 2024, I’ve been a full-time employee with Heart-n-Soul. The cafe also employees Joe Swegarden as our amazing chef and kitchen manager. We are both committed to the Cafe’s mission of addressing food insecurities, building community and serving delicious food to nurture body heart and soul.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I graduated from NDSU with a major in Child Development and my career prior to Heart ‘N Soul was working with children and families. I still believe it is one of the most important professions, caring for our littlest humans. It is phenomenal what children learn and need in the early years to become thriving individuals as they grow, I am grateful that I was able to teach and care for many children.
I worked a variety of part-time jobs throughout my life where I learned a lot and met many different people. In my teens and twenties, I worked in the food services industry as a bus person, server, hostess and pizza maker. It’s a great work environment to be a part of, I learned how to interact with many personalities and situations. I spent sixteen years at Southeastern Community Action working as a Family and Community Partnerships coordinator for Head Start and Early Head Start. The opportunity to create partnerships within our community to serve families with children birth to five living in poverty was an honor. It helped me to see how working together can make a bigger impact in our community. I learned so much from my coworkers and the families we served. In 2016, I started Heart-n-Soul Community Cafe and we received our official 501(c) 3 in 2019. A place where all are welcome to enjoy a healthy and hearty meal. I am proud of our team and the growth of Heart-n-Soul. I’m not sure if this sets me apart from others, I do try to always find the strengths in individuals and do believe we all have something to share with one another and our community. When asked, “How are you?” My father used to respond, “Everyday day is a good day, some are just better than others . I am grateful for every day and work to carry on the positive attitude of my dad!
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’m not sure if luck has played a role but it sure seems that people have come into my life when I needed them the most. Circumstances and growth happened as a result of hard work and dedication from our team. In life, I have always tried to see each situation good or bad as a chance to learn and reflect. When I was in my 30’s I had an illness that caused me to have arthritis symptoms for over 5 years. I had to close a small childcare center I owned and operated as I could no longer physically do the work needed to care for children. It made me realize to never take my health for granted. When this happened I met people I never would have met and when I was better I ran a marathon in Honolulu for the Arthritis Foundation. I am grateful for the many opportunities I have had and the amazing people in my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://heartnsoulcafe.com/
- Youtube: Heart-n-Soul Community Cafe @HeartnSoulCC
