Homeless shelter needs assistance

Ricky Edwards has eaten breakfast at Jubilee Cafe almost every Tuesday and Friday morning for the past year. Edwards, along with many other homeless or in-need guests, realizes the importance of Jubilee Cafe.

"People need the help and everybody needs help getting along with life. If they don't have help, who's going to help them," said Edwards.

In the past Jubilee Cafe was primarily funded by the Canterbury House. However, the Canterbury House is now closed and Jubilee Cafe is suffering financially as a result. The cafe must now rely heavily on fundraisers, which do not bring in as much money as the Canterbury House provided.

Cafe co-ordinator Val Baumann said, "It was a major part of our funding, and we had an office there or a place to store supplies at Canterbury House, and now we had to rent out an office at the ECM."

Directors of the Jubille Cafe hope to align with a new local church or social agency that can provide the kind of financial assistance they were receiving before. Volunteers at the cafe strongly encourage more people to help and donate to Jubilee, stressing the importance of the organization to its guests.

"I don't think it's just about the food. I think it's about having an experience of being cared for, having an experience of being recognized," said Jubilee Cafe volunteer Dennis Dailey.

For now the Jubilee Cafe relies heavily on funds raised from a concession stand they've set up for football and upcoming basketball games.

http://www.ku.edu/~jubilee/