BELLEVILLE – Small-town cafes are the heart of Republic County communities, so the Republic County Community Foundation hosted events at various cafes across the county, purchasing 50 meals in each town to share with diners.

Foundation Director Molly Williams was joined by three or four board members at each event. Together, they enjoyed great conversations about the foundation, sharing stories, answering questions, and learning about the community’s hopes and needs. These informal, welcoming settings allowed for connecting with people in a meaningful way, meeting them wherever they were in their understanding of the foundation and expanding from there.

The foundation easily surpassed the amount of donations needed to secure all available matching funds from the Hansen Foundation and Patterson Family Foundation.