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You can’t miss the bright blue exterior with 1950s vintage style painted squares on the side. Whether it’s the colorful mural or the restaurant with a purpose that first draws you in, the food and mission will bring you back.
Fresh Soul is the product of Michael Brown, a Spokane native and lifetime East Central neighborhood resident. Brown is part chef, part entrepreneur – and all heart. He has worked tirelessly to bring a sense of community to the neighborhood where he grew up - near Underhill and Liberty Parks, just south of the Interstate. “There are many things that propel me to this place. It’s all about God. God propelled me to want to give back,” Brown explains, “One way to give back is to help youth.”
While the philosophy is simple, Brown cautions the story takes time to tell – so he promises the abbreviated version. “How are we
going to do all this? We are going to do this through love,” he explains. “I believe you start in your community and then you branch out.”
In 2010, Brown started Spokane Eastside Reunion Association (SERA) in hopes to revitalize the neighborhood and bring people together. Brown was able to do a host of things once SERA earned non-profit status two years later.
First, he started a neighborhood basketball camp for disadvantaged youth. What began with eight kids the first year, now includes more than 100 who participate in the eight-week long basketball camp. Brown points out that many kids cannot afford the high price tag of summer camps in the area. “Spokane’s average camp cost is between $400 and $500 for less than a week. Our camp is $250 for eight weeks.” Not only do participants get new gear – shoes, socks and shirts – they receive breakfast and lunch each day. Community sponsors make all this possible.
"If we can come together as a people, that’s a beginning. If we can stay together, that’s progress. If we can work together, that’s success.”
Soon after launching the basketball camp, Brown started the SERA Youth Center. “One way to give back is to help youth with education.” The center provides an after school tutoring/mentoring program for kindergarten through high school students. Volunteers from local universities help students with their homework. “It’s a beautiful thing when the tutors start seeing that these kids really need the help and that they really want the help.” Many students will start seeing their grades go from C’s and D’s to A’s and B’s when they commit to the after-school program. Brown adds, “Some are even getting straight A’s because they are getting the right help.”
This is where Fresh Soul comes in to play. “That’s why I started the restaurant – to sustain our other programs.” Fresh Soul is a life skills job-training program that serves youth between the ages of 14-18. Brown explains that participants learn work, personal and life skills that will “change their trajectory from poverty to a life-long education with economic opportunities.”
In order for the kids to be accepted into the Fresh Soul job training program, they must have been a part of the after-school tutoring program. At the forefront is educating youth. “This is the carrot; we dangle the carrot. If you can show us that you can get good grades and you can be consistent in our after-school program, then that’s how we choose our cohort,” Brown explains. He notes that students who stay with the tutoring and mentoring program through high school receive a $2,000 scholarship to help pay for college.
“That’s what we do. We really want to help as many kids as possible.” Brown’s goal is to put 20-25 kids per year through the program. Once they’ve completed the training, they have the skills to go out in the workforce. Brown spells out, “Other restaurant (owners) have called and said they love what we are doing - you train them; we will give them the opportunity.” Brown reminds us that this is a ministry and his faith inspired him to work toward change in his neighborhood. “I go right back to God. It’s easy for people to start something, but you’ve got to finish. This is what I teach my kids – start something, finish it.”
"It’s about giving back. If I can help a kid here, and if that kid can pay it forward, how cool would it be?"
He notes he was fortunate to be raised in a two-parent home. “A lot of these kids don’t have a mom and a dad at home,... and are pretty much lost and don’t have the right direction.” Whether it’s through the basketball camp, the youth center, or the Fresh Soul job-training program, kids learn the value of hard work and are given a more promising future. Brown reminds them, “All you have to do is put some hard work into it; and be consistent and persevere.”
With Bishop Daly’s support, Brown applied for a Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) grant for Fresh Soul. The grant will help Fresh Soul work to meet their goal of training the teens, inspiring them to work hard, and renewing the neighborhood.
The restaurant has the support of CCHD local grants from Catholic Charities and continues to seek out the support of additional Catholic charitable organizations.
Michael Brown is dedicated to the East Central neighborhood, and feels called to stay and persevere, bringing God’s love to the community. “God inspired me and made me stay. He knew that he could trust me; and He knew I was going to stay with it. Sometimes I really wanted to give up. I really did. But now, look at the results. I’m glad I did.”
Fresh Soul is located at 3029 E 5th Ave, Spokane, WA 99202.
Open 11:30 am to 8:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Stop by on first Fridays for the monthly gumbo special.