Appetite for Change – Breaking Bread Café

Appetite for Change is a community-based, food justice-focused nonprofit organization in North Minneapolis. They use food as a tool for building health, wealth, and social change through community cooking workshops, urban agriculture projects, advocacy and more.

When Appetite for Change moved to their new location in the spring of 2014, they took over Kindred Kitchen—an incubator/community kitchen where food trucks, caterers, wholesale product producers, and other small businesses rent space and operate their businesses. Kindred Kitchen became another important pillar in the portfolio of social entrepreneurship projects operated by Appetite for Change—and was followed in the spring of 2015 by an exciting new venture.

On April 29, 2015, Appetite for Change opened the doors of their new café:—Breaking Bread. Operating partially out of Kindred Kitchen, Breaking Bread Café is a fast, casual, counter service restaurant offering a unique style of fresh, flavorful, and healthy global comfort foods. Appetite for Change opened Breaking Bread in response to the community’s need for more healthy food options in North Minneapolis—specifically in the West Broadway community, where there is an over-abundance of corner stores and fast food options, and limited to no local, fresh, scratch-made meals.

Breaking Bread is quickly becoming a gathering place for community youth and socially-conscious residents. And perhaps most notably, it is providing an opportunity for at-risk youth to obtain employment and training—helping build up the next generation and encourage positive change.

Propel Nonprofits (formerly Nonprofits Assistance Fund) and loan officer Lu Hang are proud to provide loan support to Appetite for Change for the opening of Breaking Bread Café. “We are proud of our ability to operate sustainably and efficiently,” Michelle Horovitz, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Appetite for Change told us. “We were afraid of debt and didn’t want it, but I had attended Propel Nonprofits’ ‘Debt is a Not a Four-Letter Word’ workshop, and it changed my perspective.”

With a loan administered by Propel Nonprofits and partially underwritten by the City of Minneapolis’s Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED) program—Appetite for Change was able to realize the possibility of this exciting project. “It’s going great so far! The response has been really positive in the community,” Michelle said.” Sales are increasing every week. The catering business is starting to pick up. On the nice days, I’ll leave the office and see the patio completely full.”

“Organizations like Appetite for Change are such critical components to building and sustaining robust, vibrant communities across our city and state,” said Kate Barr, President & CEO of Propel Nonprofits. “Michelle and her team are continuing to expand this social enterprise in an area of our community that has so much to offer, yet too few opportunities. We’re honored to be a partner to them during this exciting time!”

When Michelle and the rest of Appetite for Change’s leadership consider what’s next for the organization, they dream of eventually buying their building—and Propel Nonprofits, she said, would be the first place she’d call for help.  “It’s silly not to work with Propel Nonprofits. The loan and associated technical assistance is wonderful, but the workshops and trainings have been invaluable. I wish we would’ve gone to Propel Nonprofits sooner!”

When asked what she’d tell other nonprofit leaders considering working with Propel Nonprofits, she offered this advice:

“Don’t wait until you have a need, or a crisis. Seek out Propel Nonprofits’ support and guidance while you’re stable so they can help you stay the course. They’ll help you truly understand your financial position, and work with you to figure out how you can grow, sustainably, and efficiently.”