Eugene restaurant provides free meals through ‘Pay it Forward’ program

The sounds of sizzling veggies radiated from the kitchen at the Acorn Community Café, a vegan brunch and dinner spot near Monroe and 7th Alley. At the front of house, free meal orders hung on display, ready to be redeemed.

Since Acorn opened in 2021, it has used a “Pay it Forward” model—rather than asking paying customers for tips, the café encourages them to donate towards meal vouchers which anyone can walk in and use.

“We decided to take a risk and try and combine our love of the restaurant industry with our desire to make sure that everyone who lives in our area has enough to eat,” said café co-owner Miranda McKeever. “It’s a lofty goal, but we’re chipping away at it.”

Today, McKeever said her restaurant serves about 75 free meals a week, often to people who are unhoused or on fixed income. They receive the same food as paying patrons—menu items like coffee, pasta, veggie hashes, and soups.

McKeever said the café provides healthy options that could be difficult to find at some other food assistance programs. She said she’s found motivation in her own experiences facing housing insecurity.

“You get really ingrained in this feeling that because you’re trying to meet your basic needs, you don’t deserve nice things or even just to eat out at a restaurant,” said McKeever. ”And I have been very grateful to open a place where people feel welcome even if they don’t have money in their pocket at that time.”

The café has seven staff members, including McKeever and her partner, Corey Prunier. Employees don’t receive tips, but get higher base wages as compensation, according to the restaurant’s website.

Funding

Acorn Café is one of multiple organizations that provides free meals in Eugene, alongside the Mission, Neighbors Feeding Neighbors, White Bird Clinic, RAVEN and more.

According to McKeever, offering these services through a small business has some advantages. She said the café doesn’t rely on grant money that could disappear.

“We’re not really worried about a huge funding crisis where we suddenly have to stop this,” she said. “It’s sustained little by little by people who already have that money in their pocket.”

But at the same time, said McKeever, the café isn’t profitable yet. Instead, she and her partner prop up the business through hours of unpaid work, running it like a mom-and-pop shop.

“I must say, I do not regret that one bit,” she said. “I’m glad to be doing what I love—making food and drinks for people. And I feel so fulfilled knowing that my labor is supporting something that I want to see in the world that did not exist before this place.”

Nathan Wilk is a reporter with KLCC. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

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