Sunny Notes: 10.07.26 - Recovery Cafe
Upon arriving at BUF in October 2025, I was brought up to speed on BUF’s budget and financials, soon learning that in previous years, BUF had had a long-term renter who operated a weekday school on the Flex Room floor, resulting in approximately $40,000 in dependable annual rental income. At the time of my arrival, the school was gone, and BUF’s rental income had fallen to less than half that amount. Finding a new long-term renter who aligned with our values became a priority, especially as we welcomed Alison, our new Congregational Administrator, who has done an incredible job managing BUF’s rental program.
Accordingly, we are excited to announce that BUF will soon open its doors to Recovery Café Bellingham, who will be renting the BUF Social Hall, Kitchen and Library on Tuesdays through Thursdays, with Café hours from 12:00pm to 4:00pm (and staff access from 10:00am to 6:00pm for preparation and cleanup). Founded in Seattle in 2003 to provide long-term recovery support, Recovery Café is a drug- and alcohol-free space offering meals, accountability circles, and support for anyone in recovery or close to someone in recovery.
Recovery Café Bellingham is part of the larger Recovery Café Network, a model replication effort that has helped groups in cities across the U.S. begin their own Recovery Cafés. They are fiscally sponsored by Chuckanut Health Foundation. Their funds come from private donations, as well as grants from Chuckanut Health Foundation and North Sound Accountable Community of Health (ACH). They are championed by local officials, such as Mayor Kim Lund (whose husband was an early mentor to the Directors), as well as Whatcom County Council member Elizabeth Boyle. In fact, former BUFster and current Bellingham City Council Member, Michael Lilliquist, volunteers in their kitchen and attended our meeting with Café Directors Amy Kenna and Katie Honick, voicing his strong support as we explored this potential partnership.
This rental arrangement will result in approximately $22,000 of rental income for the 6-month trial period, with the potential for much more should BUF and Recovery Café decide to continue their agreement beyond the trial period. You may be wondering, “But what about Community Night Dinner on Wednesdays?” Never fear, Alison has coordinated with Jen Villalva-Cheap, and Recovery Café will operate in a slightly different way on Wednesdays so as not to interfere with Community Night Dinner or the folks who arrive early to cook.
We have heard concerns from a few folks within the congregation around potential negative impact to BUF’s facilities. When these concerns were raised, we immediately reached out to Rev. Jeff at First Baptist Church, the congregation where Recovery Café has been operating since 2024. Alison had a long conversation with Rev. Jeff, who is very supportive of Recovery Café and is cheering them on. While he reported some minor damage (e.g., lost eating utensils and few folding chairs that needed to be replaced), Rev. Jeff confirmed that there were no major damages or incidents, and that the Café covered everything. They also have a certificate of insurance through their fiscal sponsor, Chuckanut Health.
Your BUF Operations Team (the Team tasked with implementing Board policy and maintaining day-to-day operations of the congregation, and comprised of the Minister, Congregational Administrator Alison, and lay leaders Todd Jones, Natalie Johnson, John Stewart, Doug Branson and Cindy Denchfield) carefully considered this proposal. In addition to BUF’s existing Building Use & Rental Agreement and Policies, we crafted an additional Addendum to specifically and proactively address any potential issues and provide as many guardrails as possible (e.g., higher security deposit, shortened trial period, strict requirements that Café guests will enter the Social Hall from the ground-level backdoor using the exterior sidewalk on the eastside of the building with staff present outside BUF’s front door to guide them during Café hours, etc.).
I am sure we will encounter some bumps and challenges along the way as all get acclimated to this trial arrangement, and there likely will be some impact on our building. However, we (me, Alison and the Operations Team with support from the Board) feel that the benefits to BUF and the larger community outweigh the potential downsides—downsides we have worked hard to mitigate through our contractual agreement with Recovery Café.
We also are incredibly grateful to Alison, who is committed to overseeing this partnership. In her words, “As the Administrator, I realize I will likely be the person in closest contact with the Café on a regular basis. I am willing and happy to commit to the monitoring, communication, meetings, and resolving of any issues that need attention. I believe Recovery Café is doing some of the work most needed in Bellingham, and I see the potential for a meaningful partnership that aligns with our values. Amy and the other staff I have met from the Café have been delightful to work with so far. Like any new undertaking or significant change, there may be challenges along the way, but I hope and believe the outcome will be worth the effort.”
When I arrived at BUF, before I heard about the goal of boosting rental income, I heard about BUF’s proud history of service in Bellingham, including:
BUF’s role in the origin story of Lydia Place, a non-profit providing temporary housing and support for families with children;
BUF’s housing of Maple Alley Inn, a hot meal program allowing low-income folks, the unhoused, veterans and more to dine with dignity; and
BUF’s weekly Humanitas program, an assistance program within the Alms Network providing support to guests through radical listening and offering limited emergency financial assistance.
By partnering with Recovery Café, BUF once again has an opportunity to be a part of providing vital services to our Bellingham community in an effort that both aligns with our values and provides crucial rental income. While Recovery Café Bellingham hopes to one day have their own dedicated space, their trial period at BUF helps get them one step closer to this worthy goal.
This past week, I read on the Recovery Café website that “Welcoming our Members into a community of radical hospitality is a fundamental aspect of our work.” I immediately was reminded of BUF’s oft-stated desire to offer radical welcome and hospitality to members, friends and visitors alike. Our hope is for this partnership with Recovery Café to extend BUF’s welcome and hospitality even further into our Bellingham community.
Please feel free to reach out to me (BUFminister@buf.org) or Alison (BUFadmin@buf.org) with questions or concerns.
Rev. Sunny, minister