VERSAILLES, Ky. (LEX 18) — In small communities like Versailles, you may have to come up with your own fun.
For Annabel Nagel, looking for something to do led her to volunteer at Spark Community Cafe downtown.
“I started as a volunteer, then intern and kind of just made my way through all phases of it. It’s just a nice little, safe spot for a lot of people, me included," Nagel said.
Nagel is now the general manager of the cafe, helping lead the mission beyond just your average restaurant.
Spark was conceived with community action in mind, a product of a Woodford County High School class taught by now executive director of Spark Kyle Fannin.
“I thought that I was helping some former students start a restaurant and then I would step away," Fannin said.
“This has been quite the education but it’s been like a labor of love to make this happen.”
What started as pop up festivals and coffee shops grew into a larger idea in 2016.
The plan for a communal space for folks to hang out, enjoy a farm-to-table meal, and, in many cases, get some much-needed support.
Come 2019, that drive brought Spark to brick and mortar, finding a permanent home on Main Street downtown.
In that five year span to today, 80,000 meals have been served to those considered food insecure, $55,000 has been raised for local farmers and more than 25,000 volunteer hours have been recorded.
“It makes me feel good but what I realize is it’s kind of a drop in the bucket. We need to serve more meals," Fannin said.
Spark serves roughly 100 meals in house to folks who are food insecure every week.
That’s on top of 266 meals in containers like these that go out, delivered to people across our community every week.
Fannin and his team are focused on providing more, especially with school out for the summer.
However, they rely on their customers to give what they can so Spark can return the favor.
“All of a sudden starting this week, we have a lot more children coming into the café, which we love but that’s more meals and it costs money," Fannin said.
"That’s the beauty of the place. You come in and have a great farm to table meal and you know you’re helping out just by your tip.”
As for Nagel, who is preparing to be the next executive director of Spark, she feels accomplished to be a part of this cause.
Knowing that she's having a real impact that could hopefully impact other communities beyond her own.
“I always thought I was helping people, nothing compared to this. This is like a whole different level of you seeing meals go out. You see people get happy when you show up at their door. It’s a fun time, a lot different than anything else I’ve been involved in," Nagel said.
If you want to learn more about Spark and their mission, click here.
