Like the teens in the 1985, John Hughes classic, The Breakfast Club, our vendors and our friends experiencing homelessness are no strangers to being called names or identified as a shell of who they truly are. As Brian wrote to Mr. Vernon at the end of the film, “You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions.” We are all too aware of this stigma, and it fuels us here at The Contributor to recognize our community members who their personhood in its entirety — messy parts and all.
This is one of the reasons we offer a community breakfast every other Wednesday when a new issue of the paper is released. At this breakfast, our vendors and community members come together to fill their bellies for the work ahead, and fill their hearts with the sense of camaraderie that comes from being seen and known for who you are, not just what you are going through. At these breakfasts, The Contributor team cooks and serves over a hundred warm meals, as well as offering fresh produce and of course lots of coffee. In addition to the meal, this recurring event gives us the opportunity to review the new issue of the paper together, share insights and happenings around town, pay vendors for their writing and art contributions to the paper, and gather for creative workshops and new vendor training. It is one of our busiest days of the week, but also one of the most rewarding.
But it is no small feat! This event costs us about $300 per meal, a number which has steadily grown with the rising cost of groceries that we have all experienced. But when it comes down to it, it is a non-negotiable part of our programming, as it allows us to connect with our people and offer support to our hard-working vendors. It allows us to take the time to really see one another and connect in ways that our busy world doesn’t often allow us to do. At breakfast, we slow down. We greet each other warmly. We get enough food to truly fill our bellies. We laugh wholeheartedly. We celebrate and grieve together, and along the way, we learn that the words others use to describe us, the simplest definitions which limit our unhoused friends to just the worst thing that has ever happened to them, is not even close to the most important thing about us.
It is with this space in mind, that we invite you to join The Contributor Breakfast Club by donating toward our bi-weekly breakfast. Our goal is to raise $10,000 by Oct. 8 to fully fund the next year’s worth of breakfasts (and give us room to grow!). To break this down even further, each serving of breakfast costs $3, so you can fund a year’s worth of one person’s breakfast for just $80. You can also fund an entire breakfast service for $300, or a month’s worth of breakfasts for $600.
You are also welcome to come attend our breakfast. It is open to anyone and takes place in the fellowship hall at Downtown Presbyterian Church (154 Rep. John Lewis Way N.) across from Rise Biscuits. Breakfast starts at 8:30 a.m. every other Wednesday. The next one is Oct. 7.
We are so grateful to every one who chooses to be a part of our community, from vendors, to volunteers, to readers like you! And in the iconic words of Scottish rock band Simple Minds, we ask, “don’t you, forget about [us]” as you choose where to donate this month.
You can donate today using the QR code below, by sending a check to The Contributor at P.O. Box 332023, Nashville, TN 37203, or by visiting our website at www.thecontributor.org. Make sure to select “Breakfast Club 2026” as the donation cause.
Sincerely yours,
The Contributor Breakfast Club