Chow Champions

It became clear early on in the pandemic that at the top of the list of essential workers are grocery store employees. Grocery stores are busier than ever, and these supermarket warriors are putting themselves in harm’s way every single day to make sure that the rest of us stay healthy, safe and properly fed. They deserve our endless respect and gratitude. Our church, in partnership with Café Genevieve sent a meal to each of our 550 grocery workers, who have been working hard to keep us fed and stocked at risk to themselves.

Over the last few weeks, Fred Peightal, managing partner, Josh Governale, Executive Chef and the rest of the Cafe Genevieve staff prepped, bagged and delivered family meals to each employee of Albertsons, Smith’s and the Jackson Whole Grocer. (Pictured is Daryl Peightal delivering to Whole Grocer.)

Travis Klein, Assistant Store Director for Albertsons said,

"The entire staff was surprised with the generosity and very thankful. Most of all I think they felt appreciated for the work they do. Thank you very much for supporting us.”

St. John’s received a $10,000 grant from the Diocese of Wyoming to help with pandemic relief. The Foundation for the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming has committed $1 million in relief to those negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Wyoming. “Conversations included support for front-line workers, health care professionals and support staff, those who have lost employment and issues related to food insecurity, as well as support for local parishes and missions,” Jimmy Bartz, rector of St. John’s, said. “We’re already working hard seven days a week to dream of ways we can make a love-spreading difference in the lives of those negatively impacted by this crisis.”

Not surprisingly, Cafe Genevieve has been doing what they do best to support our community during this time—feeding people. With owners and staff who are invested in this community, they know how important it is to give back and share what you know. And, if you’ve ever been inside that cabin you know they’re pretty darn good at what they know. In an effort to give back, Cafe Genevieve launched a Pay-It-Forward program. Anyone who ordered take-out over the stay-at-home period could add $15 to an order to provide meals throughout the community.

The program provided meals for 80 families of the Children’s Learning Center on two separate occasions, 50-plus meals for the One22 staff and 50 meals for Teton County Search and Rescue volunteers. In addition, 12 family meals were given to the staff of St. John’s Episcopal Church in partnership with the vestry. (That fried chicken and jambalaya was a highlight for the staff during lockdown—THANK YOU!)

But wait there’s more, the Hole Quarantine purchased meals through the Pay-It-Forward program several times with Cafe Genevieve to deliver to St. John’s Health staff. In total, Cafe Genevieve distributed over 1,300 meals to folks in our community (this does not include the countless independent to-go orders). This community support meant the restaurant was able to keep several kitchen and front-of-house staff on the schedule.

Cafe G recently celebrated 10 years in the historic log cabin in the heart of town named for Genevieve VanVleck. Fred concluded by saying, “This community knows how to show up for each other and give. We learned this passion and enthusiasm for giving from the Save the Block project last summer.”

Cafe Genevieve is currently open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday - Sunday for both dine-in and take-out. The restaurant will be extending days and hours as the town slowly opens up. Check out their website or @cafegenevieve on Instagram for the most up-to-date info and to order some amazing grub!

Check out the Pay It Forward Meal photos.

Pay It Forward Meals

With your support, we continue to open our hearts and hands to the public during this time. Let us know how you (or someone you know) is making an impact by helping others.

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