Moving to a new city often involves embracing a different lifestyle, or in the case of Killian Noe, helping shape the community’s path to equity and wellness.

When Noe moved to Seattle in 1999, the social activist wanted to build upon her previous work by serving those struggling with a substance use disorder and other mental health challenges. After doing more research, she partnered with two co-founders and launched Recovery Café.

More than a refuge, Recovery Café is an alternative, therapeutic community aiming to help guests overcome internal and external battles through continuous support, and impactful health practices.

“We believe that everyone is in recovery from something,” Gina Grappone, Director of Resource Development, tells Replate. “Our Members have experienced traumas, and the effects of trauma such as homelessness, substance use, and other mental health challenges. We see every day the importance and impact of connection. Having a loving, supportive community like Recovery Café helps people recover from whatever it is that’s holding them back from being their best selves. We are reminded continually of the words of journalist Johann Hari: “The opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety–it’s connection.”

Recovery Cafés offer a safe, stable, drug- and alcohol-free space to anchor Members while they obtain vital resources like permanent housing, social and health services, education, and employment. 

The organization provides a variety of health and wellness programs, including free, nutritious meals, access to a computer lab and telephones, daily social activities, AA meetings, Naturopathic Health classes, music, yoga, and meditation. 

Additionally, there are weekly Recovery Circles, which Grappone believes are most impactful to achieving long term growth.

“Recovery Circles are groups of 6-10 people who meet weekly for one hour to check in, share the highs and lows of their recovery journey, and share resources,” she explains. “Attendance is one of Recovery Café’s requirements for Membership. This format helps participants come to know one another in a deeper way, creating authentic relationships and a mutually supportive environment. [They’re] designed to prevent relapse by reducing social isolation, providing positive modeling behaviors, encouraging honest feedback, and increasing emotional support.” 

With Recovery Cafés, Grappone and her team are establishing an organizational model that can be grown and scaled through a branded network of nonprofit agencies. The group launched their first official cohort in 2016, monitored results and augmented the process, and have since systematized the model. 

There are currently 60 Cafés across the U.S. and one in Canada, with new communities joining the Network regularly.

Replate serves Recovery Cafés in Seattle, sharing food donations on a routine basis to support daily meal services. Grapponne notes that, for many members, those donations are their main source of healthy food. 

She adds, “As an organization, we are so grateful that we can offer high quality and healthy food choices to our Members. Replate lets us do that in a way that's community-based and sustainable, reducing food waste while strengthening local partnerships. We know that healthy foods contribute not just to good physical health, but also to mental well-being…We are grateful to Replate for supporting the healing and transformation that happens here every day.”

To learn more about the Recovery Cafe, visit their website.

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