Women & Children’s Free Restaurant & Community Kitchen (WCFR) is a two-time AGORA Award-winning nonprofit that provides free, nutritious meals and groceries to women and children in Spokane County, Washington. In response to the 2020 pandemic, WCFR provided over one million meals annually, ten times the amount during a typical pre-pandemic year. With the support of our generous community, grantors, and many others, we have maintained this level of service.

WCFR was founded in 1988, serving 15-20 weekly meals to women and children in the basement of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. The idea for the restaurant came from a college student who, in her research, discovered the need for a dedicated place for women and children to receive a meal in a safe place, away from domestic violence situations.

WCFR continued to serve meals in the church’s basement until 2015, when we opened the restaurant in our new facility at 1408 N. Washington. We now serve thousands of women and children annually. Respect, dignity, and a sense of community are core values of our work and are an integral part of our services.

Mission Statement: Women & Children’s Free Restaurant & Community Kitchen is a vital safety net that fills nutritional gaps for women and children in need while fostering dignity and respect, both within our restaurant and in the community.

RESTAURANT FACTS

• WCFR operates with a small paid staff of 6-8 employees and up to 100 weekly volunteers.
• WCFR has an active and occasional workforce of over 300 volunteers, which includes a volunteer board of directors and a teen leadership board.
• WCFR is a licensed caterer, which requires us to adhere to the same health and safety requirements and standards established for all commercial restaurants.
• WCFR currently offers curbside services for drive-up and walk-up participants. Click to learn more.

CORE PROGRAMS

Curbside Meals: We offer chef-prepared dinners, fresh groceries, and dry goods. All meals and food products are provided free of charge.

Nutrition to Go: We currently partner with 20+ nonprofit agencies across the community to provide nutritious meals for their clients.  All meals are provided free of charge to the agencies and the individuals they serve.  We do what we do best to support what they do best!