Divine Art Cafe: Take A Chance
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Support the Marys through Divine Art Cafe
Sometimes, a chance is all we need. A chance to learn, to thrive, to grow. Divine Art Café provides a safe space for members of our community who are typically marginalized to take that chance.
Why support the work of Divine Art Café? Meet Mary and Paula.
Mary has a husband and four beautiful kids and a good job. They are living the American dream. Then two of their children die from a rare disease. Her whole world is turned upside down. Mary’s journey into depression has her soon relying on alcohol to numb all the pain. The addiction takes hold and, before you know it, she has lost her marriage, the custody of her children, her job, and her home. Finally, sitting at the bottom, she begins to wonder…is this life over for me or can I recover from this? Most important, how do I ever start over? Who is going to help me? Who is going to take a chance and give me a job in a safe, trustworthy and productive environment?
Meanwhile, ten years ago Paula Hock had decided to start a toffee company using her Aunt Lucy’s toffee recipe. She’s now shipping her product all over the US… and even Whole Foods has been one of her buyers! She can’t believe she has come this far and it’s just candy! She built Divine Art Toffee in Nashville to become a quiet, yet successful candy company serving buyers all over the US. She was happy growing her small business and it appeared that all was well.
Then Paula met Mary… just out of a recovery program… fearful of starting over… and wondering if she could ever get a second chance at life.
You may think this is crazy…but Paula wondered if God were to visit her little successful business, would He be more impressed with the toffee she is making, or would He be more interested in Mary?
That was the day when Paula decided that He gave her the candy business so she could help the Marys of this city. Mary helped make and package toffee, and then Paula hired Cindy, another woman from the same recovery program….
After eight years of having a small successful business and much prayer and counsel, Paula decided to put her money where her heart is. She made the decision and started putting a plan into action: Divine Art Toffee would become a non-profit organization that would serve the community through a candy kitchen and café.
She opened the doors to the café in August 2015 and have been slowly building awareness about its presence and mission.
A hidden jewel set in the heart East Nashville, Divine Art Café invites guests to sip locally brewed coffee paired with handcrafted toffee or savor tasty meals made from scratch. It’s a warm and inviting space to work, study, socialize, or host an event.
And most importantly, Divine Art Café is a nonprofit restaurant/coffee house that mentors and employs those who deserve a chance—those who have successfully completed recovery programs and now local students who live with disabilities—as well as provides outreach and inclusion programs for our community’s elderly population.
‘Hidden’ is no exaggeration. The café is currently located in the bottom floor on the backside of a complex lining one of East Nashville’s main streets and faces two large apartment and condominium construction sites. Tucked away from the main thoroughfare, the café is struggling to stay afloat. This campaign will raise funds needed to keep the café open until the residential developments take off in the spring of 2017 and daily foot traffic explodes.
Please support the Marys who need a second chance in their efforts of self-improvement and betterment by donating to Divine Art Café. Thank you!
Sometimes, a chance is all we need. A chance to learn, to thrive, to grow. Divine Art Café provides a safe space for members of our community who are typically marginalized to take that chance.
Why support the work of Divine Art Café? Meet Mary and Paula.
Mary has a husband and four beautiful kids and a good job. They are living the American dream. Then two of their children die from a rare disease. Her whole world is turned upside down. Mary’s journey into depression has her soon relying on alcohol to numb all the pain. The addiction takes hold and, before you know it, she has lost her marriage, the custody of her children, her job, and her home. Finally, sitting at the bottom, she begins to wonder…is this life over for me or can I recover from this? Most important, how do I ever start over? Who is going to help me? Who is going to take a chance and give me a job in a safe, trustworthy and productive environment?
Meanwhile, ten years ago Paula Hock had decided to start a toffee company using her Aunt Lucy’s toffee recipe. She’s now shipping her product all over the US… and even Whole Foods has been one of her buyers! She can’t believe she has come this far and it’s just candy! She built Divine Art Toffee in Nashville to become a quiet, yet successful candy company serving buyers all over the US. She was happy growing her small business and it appeared that all was well.
Then Paula met Mary… just out of a recovery program… fearful of starting over… and wondering if she could ever get a second chance at life.
You may think this is crazy…but Paula wondered if God were to visit her little successful business, would He be more impressed with the toffee she is making, or would He be more interested in Mary?
That was the day when Paula decided that He gave her the candy business so she could help the Marys of this city. Mary helped make and package toffee, and then Paula hired Cindy, another woman from the same recovery program….
After eight years of having a small successful business and much prayer and counsel, Paula decided to put her money where her heart is. She made the decision and started putting a plan into action: Divine Art Toffee would become a non-profit organization that would serve the community through a candy kitchen and café.
She opened the doors to the café in August 2015 and have been slowly building awareness about its presence and mission.
A hidden jewel set in the heart East Nashville, Divine Art Café invites guests to sip locally brewed coffee paired with handcrafted toffee or savor tasty meals made from scratch. It’s a warm and inviting space to work, study, socialize, or host an event.
And most importantly, Divine Art Café is a nonprofit restaurant/coffee house that mentors and employs those who deserve a chance—those who have successfully completed recovery programs and now local students who live with disabilities—as well as provides outreach and inclusion programs for our community’s elderly population.
‘Hidden’ is no exaggeration. The café is currently located in the bottom floor on the backside of a complex lining one of East Nashville’s main streets and faces two large apartment and condominium construction sites. Tucked away from the main thoroughfare, the café is struggling to stay afloat. This campaign will raise funds needed to keep the café open until the residential developments take off in the spring of 2017 and daily foot traffic explodes.
Please support the Marys who need a second chance in their efforts of self-improvement and betterment by donating to Divine Art Café. Thank you!
Organizer
paula hock
Organizer
Nashville, TN