The Modern Times cafe moved to a pay-what-you-want model during the ICE occupation of Minneapolis. Now the cafe is making it permanent (and pivoting to a nonprofit). “Some had come for a free meal; others were there to pay double or triple their tab.”




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There should more of these! Proud to say that my town (Hamilton, Ontario) has 541 Eatery, a non-profit cafe where those who are able to pay it forward purchase buttons to add to a jar, which can then be used as dollars by whoever needs help buying their meal. Crucially, there are no questions asked, and the individual gets to pick whatever they want from the menu. Their impact report from 2024 states this system (and other large scale donations) generated over 23,000 free meals, which makes a huge difference in a neighborhood with high food insecurity.
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