By Benjamin Joe
(Image above: Felicia Patterson, center, cuts the ribbon for the grand opening of the Hope & Wellness Recovery Cafe in Lockport. Photo by Benjamin Joe)

The Hope & Wellness Recovery Café in the City of Lockport celebrated its grand opening at 328 East Avenue, Lockport, late last month (Sept. 27).

The two-story house in Lockport is a place where everyone is welcome, said Executive Director Felicia Patterson, because everyone is recovery from something. It is also completely free, thanks to a grant from the Recovery Café Network, a national group dedicated to community, and donations from the community.

Patterson said approximately 20 people have come in each day to start their journey of accountable recovery. They vary in needs but are all welcome. Recovery includes recovery from sexual assault, grief — the bodies of those who died of the coronavirus are just now being buried, Patterson noted — homelessness, substance abuse, domestic violence and food insecurity.

The café also plans to feature classes for art and music as these are important tools for those in recovery, Patterson said.

“It definitely is a component. Art classes are being formed now,” she said. “We’re doing two art classes, one for the developmentally disabled and one for anybody. … Music and art is a very big part of recovery.”

Patterson also announced the café is teaming up with FeedMore WNY, a regional food bank, for a food pantry to be opened in December. Currently, the café serves free breakfast, lunch and dinner to anyone who walks in the door.

Clothing is also being donated to help clients coming out of sober houses like Casanova Recovery and Horizon Village, who need new “job” clothes, as well as home clothes to start their new lives. The café is also connecting those who face homelessness with a local homeless shelter, Lockport CARES.

Among those who attended the ribbon cutting was Lockport Mayor John Lombardi III.

“On behalf of the City of Lockport and my office as Mayor, this is probably the most — I don’t even know the word to use for it,” Lombardi said.

“We need this. I pray for you all every single day. God bless, (Pastor) Steve (O’Mara) for bringing all of this to my attention. I live a block away, so I’ll be here to help. Let me tell you, the City of Lockport needs this. We have so many things we’re looking forward to and this is one of them.”

On the board for the Hope & Wellness Recovery Café is Paul Patterson, who said he started as an outsider while his sister, Alice Patterson, and his wife, Shannon Patterson, worked with Felicia and O’Mara creating the project.

“I heard Felicia talking about this for a couple years, and now it’s all coming about,” he said. “I was always in the background, making snacks, and the more I heard that went on, I was like, ‘wow, this is really a great idea!’

“So, I said, ‘I want to join.’”

The Hope & Wellness Recovery Café is based on a Recovery Café model, which asks its satellite cafés to:

• Create a community space that is drug-and-alcohol-free, embracing and healing.
• Nurture structures of loving accountability called Recovery Circles.
• Empower every member to be a contributor.
• Raise up member leaders.
• Ensure responsible stewardship.
• Work to end systemic racism, socioeconomic inequality and oppression of any individual or identity group by holding spaces that are profoundly loving, inclusive and honoring all.

The ribbon remained uncut until Patterson thanked her board and volunteers for making the building and its services a priority.

“I just want to say thank you to every board member that is standing here. Every volunteer. Our volunteer leaders. This is not possible without God and without all of you, so thank you. I’m not cutting this alone. I am cutting this with everyone that is standing here today, because I could not do this myself and I didn’t.,” she said.

“I might have had a thought and a vision, but these wonderful people standing up here with me helped bring it to fruition. So, please honor them as we cut this ribbon because this would not be possible without you here. Thank you.”

More information of the Hope & Wellness Recovery Café can be found at its website at https://hopewrc.org.