Beyond the Bread

Aloha is the force in the universe that binds everything together for the good. At the Aloha Friday Project (AFP) we use Aloha as our platform to create relationships with community leaders and organizations that are expressing Aloha in their own unique way. Tucked away in the Georgetown neighborhood in Seattle, Conscious Eatery, a humble gourmet sandwich shop run by social entrepreneurs Cierra Laub and Chaz Rowlan are not only filling the stomachs of Seattleites with their delicious sandwich (voted top 10 sandwich spot on Yelp!), but also with hope, and vision of a better future. Both Laub and Rowlan have committed their lives to supporting their community. One of their long standing philanthropic efforts has been their “sell a meal – give a way a meal” program. Through these efforts Conscious has given away to this date over 80K sandwiches to local Seattle food banks and nonprofits and are well on their way to reach an Aloha driven milestone of donating over 100K meals. 

The pandemic forced Conscious Eatery to shut their doors in March of 2020. The unfortunate reality was that while most restaurants were struggling, many had to close their doors completely. For Laub and Rowlan they doubled down on their commitment to the community. It took a while but soon Conscious was able to open their doors again for takeout and catering. The Conscious team  kept on with the mission and did what they could to continue their fight against food insecurity, it was almost as if the pandemic made the fight even more urgent. This display of selflessness and keeping the community center of everything that Conscious Eatery does is exactly what we define as Aloha at the Aloha Friday Project.

When an Aloha Friday Project Partner emerges and we know there is a way that we can support the cause it doesn’t take long to activate the AFP team. Aloha Friday Project Co-Founder Christine Donaldson immediately supported the Conscious team in their restaurant when they were short staffed. We collaborated with the restaurant for an Aloha Friday pop up to amplify all the Aloha that Conscious was emanating from their restaurant. During the holidays AFP and Conscious ran multiple give back drives collecting toiletries and other essentials and partnered with the nonprofit Seattle Cozy Connections for a holiday give back. Of course, Conscious donated 500 meals in addition for those in need. 

This is what the Aloha Friday Project was created for: To highlight and create more awareness for the businesses, community leaders, and community based organizations that are doing the important work in the community. We mahalo Cierra and Chaz for all they do and look forward to more AFP collaborations with them. 

If you are in the Seattle area stop by and say hi to the Conscious team and help them get closer to the goal of giving away 100K meals. You can find them at:

5620 6th Ave South
Seattle, WA 98108
www.consciouseatery.org
IG: @weeatconscious
Donate a meal today: Go Fund Me iFund Women

Feeling inspired? Send us a message of Aloha!