Ridgefield Meetinghouse to add new cafe
RIDGEFIELD — By the end of next month, there’ll be a new coffee shop in town — and one that will help the community.
The Sunrise Cafe, which will open at the Meetinghouse at the end of April, will donate all its profits “to local charities that are making a positive impact and need our help,” said Ron Herman, a Fairfield resident and cafe owner.
The cafe is just one of the new additions to the Meetinghouse, a community gathering place on Ridgebury Road that’s undergoing a $1.7 million renovation project.
Once the project is complete, the Meetinghouse will also contain many other initiatives for the community, including a high school youth program and a sensory garden for adults with special needs. Meetinghouse leaders will also spread awareness of opioid addiction.
Deborah Rundlett, Meetinghouse director, said the renovation is expected to be completed by the end of June. She describes the Meetinghouse as “one house with many rooms.”
Phase one of the project, which involved the historic restoration of the Meetinghouse, was funded in part by Preservation Connecticut — a nonprofit organization — along with individual donors. The exterior was $65,000, with a $15,000 grant coming from Preservation CT. The Meetinghouse has spent about $823,000 on the project, and about $82,000 is needed to finish phase two.
The Meetinghouse, which encompasses four buildings and wetlands, is owned by Ridgebury Congregational Church. Rundlett, who is also pastor of the church, said the Meetinghouse provides a great space “for the community to address challenging issues.”
Addiction awareness, cafe
Herman, who owns and operates Wooster Hollow Cafe on Danbury Road in Ridgefield, said Sunrise Cafe donate its profits to nonprofits that include Ability Beyond, Danbury Grassroots Academy, and Cornerstone Home & Gardens.
Sunrise Cafe, which will be open seven days a week, will serve coffee, baked goods, sandwiches, soups and salads. The team at Wooster Hollow Cafe will manage the Sunrise Cafe, he said.
Additionally, the Meetinghouse will work to address opioid addiction awareness. The facility recently worked with a local couple to donate free Narcan nasal spray kits to members of the community. They did so in response to the increasing number of opioid- and fentanyl-related overdoses in the U.S. — about 80,000 in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Narcan can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
“That was just a start,” Rundlett said, in response to next steps. “We want to get to the root issues and the root issues are tied to depression.”
She said the Meetinghouse will work with the town’s Prevention Council to address the root issues. Questions she said she hopes to answer include: “What is the relationship between depression and addiction? How can we partner with Danbury? How do we move beyond the shame of addiction to get the support when it’s most needed?”
Sensory garden, youth leadership
An accessibility ramp is being built at the Meetinghouse to allow Cornerstone Home & Gardens to move in, Rundlett said.
The nonprofit provides an opportunity for individuals with special needs to experience real-life work opportunities. It now operates out of McKeon Farm on Old Stagecoach Road in Ridgefield. Cornerstone, which was founded by town resident CeCe Burger in 2018, only offered gardening during the seasonal growing times of the year.
“Our gardens, which kick off late April and then close late November, donate fresh produce from the McKeon’s garden to food insecure organizations around the Ridgefield and Danbury communities,” Berger said.
She added having a year-round location at the Meetinghouse will enable the nonprofit to expand its services and its mission “to provide job training, day programming and classes to neurodivergent populations including those on the autism spectrum. We plan to set up a farmstand, which will include vegetables and beautiful cut flowers.”
In July, the Meetinghouse will launch a state funded-youth leadership initiative. The facility will work with rising Danbury and Ridgefield high school seniors, who will create a social action plan that will involve their community.
Additionally, the Meetinghouse will host artists in residence and offer ongoing wellness initiatives.