Maggie didn't set out to open a restaurant. She set out to answer a question that had bothered her since childhood: Why am I always on the privileged side of the volunteer line?

That question led her to a day shelter for people experiencing homelessness, which led to a conversation at Golden Corral that changed everything. Her friend John, who'd been homeless for three months, told her he chose that restaurant because "here I have choice" and "here I'm not invisible." Those two sentences became the blueprint for A Place at the Table—a pay-what-you-can restaurant in downtown Raleigh that's feeding 150-200 people a day while building something even more important: community.

In this episode, Maggie breaks down how she built a nonprofit restaurant with zero restaurant or nonprofit experience, why she got denied by the Secretary of State's office the first time, and how "friend-raising" (not fundraising) grew the concept from 50 people at their first pop-up to 450 at the last one before they opened their brick-and-mortar. We talk about hiring people smarter than you, getting on the Kelly Clarkson Show, and why the biggest fight isn't food insecurity—it's community insecurity.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• A Place at the Table: Downtown Raleigh, NC
• Website: tableraleigh.org
• Instagram/Facebook: @tableraleigh
• How to give back: Volunteer, dine, donate, or cater - all options available online

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