Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhonda Callahan.
Rhonda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In 2010, my daughter, Maddy, and I were homeless for nine months. I had never asked for help for anything before, and the way I was treated was humiliating and demeaning. I could understand how people in need could be made feel like they had nothing to offer to society and could end up stuck in the cycle of poverty. I decided that when things got better for me, I was going to do something to change how people in need were treated. In June 2010, a beautiful couple offered to allow Maddy and I to live in a basement apartment they had for free until I could get on my feet. Soon, I found a second job, and we were able to afford an apartment of our own. We moved out after a year. While things were getting better, I kept thinking about how much I wanted to change how people in need were treated. A friend and I brainstormed a lot to try and figure out what we could do. We knew we wanted food to be part of it because the food need is great, and eating together helps people feel like they truly belong. After a long search and not finding a building, we landed on the idea of acquiring a food truck we could use to drive to neighborhoods where there were people in need and serve free hot meals, no questions asked, no paperwork required. I wanted to call our organization “The Torch” because I wanted our food truck to be like a beacon of light in the neighborhoods we would be visiting.
We applied for 501(c) tax-exempt status, which we were told would take 3 years to get approved. We sent our application in in September 2012 and received approval one month later! We then launched a website and began to collect donations for the food truck. Through a series of miracles, we had our food truck in Livingston County and on the road in April 2014. We began serving meals in one neighborhood, but now we are in five neighborhoods in Livingston County, and we even have a branch in Southern California serving five neighborhoods.
In 2015, after getting to know many people living in the neighborhoods in which we were serving, I noticed a significant portion of the population were individuals who had disabilities. I wanted to figure out if there was a way I could impact that population – and Torch 180 was born! At Torch 180, we train individuals who have disadvantages for employment in the food service industry.
Our first class consisted of two students, and we taught in the basement of a church, utilizing their commercial kitchen and a classroom the spring of 2016. It was a trial class to see if our program would work and to work out kinks in the curriculum. The students were successful, and both are still employed!
After many years of fundraising and looking for our own building, we were able to purchase the former Fowlerville Library in the summer of 2018. We did a complete renovation and build out which gave us our own Cafe and Coffee Shop, complete with a classroom for coursework. We gained occupancy in February 2020 and were shut down due to COVID, three weeks after our first course started. After getting through the ups and downs of the pandemic, we were finally able to open and train in Spring of 2021.
Currently, the Torch 180 Cafe & Coffee Bar, located at 131 Mill St., Fowlerville, MI 48836, is open Tuesday-Friday from 8:30-3:30 and Saturday from 10:00-3:00.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Is it ever a smooth road? In 2020, we were planning on receiving revenue from our cafe and coffee shop, and, instead, like everyone else, we were shut down before we even had our grand opening. In 2021, I had to deal with the resignation of my co-founder. It was a devastating but necessary thing.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Torch 180?
At Torch 180, we have a cafe and coffee bar in which we train individuals who have disadvantages for employment in the food service industry. We are open to the public, and our students do the food and coffee bar work, run the cash register, serve customers, and clean and sanitize the building. There are three levels of coursework the students are able to complete – including the first culinary apprenticeship in the state of Michigan!
What are your plans for the future?
We plan to continue to grow our training program, expanding into Ingham County. We are partnering with the local Adult Transitions program to do kitchen skills training for their students.
Contact Info:
- Website: torch180.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/torch180
