By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

The staff at Café at 407 and Ophelia’s Place in Liverpool are getting into the holiday spirit by hanging twinkly lights and handmade snowflakes made from brown paper bags, and they are hoping their patrons will be feeling generous this season.

Throughout December, patrons who donate $10 or more to Ophelia’s Place will receive a special edition Café at 407 mug. Those who donate on Dec. 3 — #GivingTuesday — will be entered into a drawing to receive free coffee for a year.

“We’re really just excited for folks to celebrate with us,” said Holly Lowery, education coordinator for Ophelia’s Place. “And if their hearts and their wallets are able, to help us ring in 2020 with whatever they are able to give.”

MaryEllen Clausen founded Ophelia’s Place in 2002 after her daughters were struggling with eating disorders. Today, Ophelia’s Place is home to support groups for people struggling with eating disorders and their loved ones and helps connect them with treatment through the Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service. In 2017, Clausen’s daughter, Holli Zehring, opened Ophelia’s Place West in Gilbert, Arizona.

Clausen opened Café at 407 in 2009 to provide a funding stream for the nonprofit organization. Lowery said the café’s revenue supports 35% of the annual budget for Ophelia’s Place. In its next 10 years, the goal for the café is to increase that to 40-45%.

Community support has been key to the café’s success.

“People feel like they can support the work that we do,” Clausen told the Star-Review in 2017. “It’s a revenue stream, but also it’s a place for people to feel like they’re part of the solution. The community is a part of the healing process.”

The walls at the café are emblazoned with messages of body positivity. One wall reads, “Nourish. Honor. Accept. Every. Body.”

Diet talk is discouraged at the café. Instead of fretting over calories, patrons are encouraged to “eat what sounds nourishing to you.”

Many of the café’s customers are people who have sought support from Ophelia’s Place.

“They come because it feels safe,” Lowery said.

Others have yet to discover the café’s cause. Information about disordered eating, body image and the services Ophelia’s Place provides are readily available, and the baristas engage customers in positive self-talk

“We also hear conversations at the register with folks who are just starting to investigate their relationship with their body and food,” Lowery said.

As for the café’s next 10 years, Lowery said the team hopes to “create even more awareness about disordered eating and body dissatisfaction” and to continue building community one cup of coffee at a time.

Cafe at 407 is located at 407 Tulip St. in the village of Liverpool. For more information, visit cafeat407.org. To learn more about Ophelia’s Place and how to support its mission, visit opheliasplace.org.