Community Celebrates New Resource for Healthy Living at Grand Opening of Monarch Café and Butterfly Foundation’s New Offices
November 14, 2014
SPARTANBURG, SC – Hundreds of community leaders and members recently gathered to celebrate the grand opening of a new resource to help families eat well, live healthily and work toward success. The new facilities of The Butterfly Foundation (TBF) and Monarch Café & Fresh Food Store officially opened for business with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 6 and a community celebration on Nov. 8 at Northside Harvest Park (NHP) at 498 Howard Street in Spartanburg.
Community leaders and partners from across Spartanburg came to share their support and speak at the ribbon cutting, including Representative Harold Mitchell, Jr., Mayor Junie White, Kathy Dunleavy of the Mary Black Foundation, Anna Hamilton of the SC Community Loan Fund, Scott Richard of Denny’s Corporation, Laura Stille of Partners for Active Living, Brendan Buttimer of Hub City Farmers’ Market, Bill Barnet and Curt McPhail of Northside Development Group, and Tony Thomas of the Northside Voyagers. Unveiled alongside Monarch was the new B-Cycle station at NHP, which provides access to rental bicycles complete with attached baskets for residents to transport their groceries home. Saturday’s community grand opening gave attendees a glimpse of what Monarch has to offer with food and drink tastings, site tours, and cooking demonstrations, including presentations by celebrity Chef Daniel W. Thomas.
Established in 2007, The Butterfly Foundation is a nonprofit community development organization. As part of its mission to empower, transform and transition the lives of economically challenged individuals and families, TBF secured a $545,800 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to bring fresh food to Spartanburg’s Northside community. The grant, along with support from community partners, provided financing to build NHP and the facilities that house Monarch Café & Fresh Food Store and the TBF offices.
“We are excited that our doors are finally open in the Northside area and we look forward to providing convenient access to community resources for residents of that neighborhood,” said TBF President and Founder Liberty Canzater. “It is a place close to home where families can find the foods they need to eat well and live healthily, as well as the tools they need to support their success. We are so grateful for the overwhelming response and support we’ve received from the community already. We look forward to seeing the impact our presence has on this neighborhood and its residents in years to come.”
Monarch Café & Fresh Food Store is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The Café provides moderately priced breakfast, lunch and “lite-bites,” and the Fresh Food Store features produce, dairy, meats and more from local and regional farmers. Monarch also offers cooking demonstrations and classes highlighting fresh produce. Profits will support TBF programs, including housing assistance, emergency housing repair, benefits assistance, and the Culinary Job Training Program, which has prepared 70 graduates for food service careers since its implementation in 2010. The TBF offices at NHP are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
To learn more about Monarch Café & Fresh Food Store and other TBF initiatives, please call 864-582-4146 or visit www.butterfly-sc.com.
The Butterfly Foundation
The Butterfly Foundation is a nonprofit community development organization that provides assistance in the areas of housing, job readiness and training. Established in Spartanburg, S.C. in 2007, our mission is to empower, transform and transition economically challenged individuals and families into self-sufficient and self-confident citizens. We aim to meet individuals where they are and provide the essential resource they need to reach the next step toward self-sufficiency. Since its implementation in October 2010, our Culinary Job Training Program has hosted seven 12-week sessions and prepared 70 graduates for a career in the food service industry, who have maintained an 85 percent job placement rate.
