Palo Alto Resident Launches Auction To Save Nonprofit Cafe

PALO ALTO, CA — A nonprofit cafe in Palo Alto that trains and gives jobs to locals with developmental disabilities has temporarily closed amid California's worst coronavirus surge yet. But the staff assures the cafe will be back as soon as it makes "'safe' sense to reopen."

While Santa Clara County had already opted into Gov. Gavin Newsom's Regional Stay-At-Home order, the Bay Area region hit an all new low for intensive care unit capacity last week, triggering the order for all other Bay Area counties.

"With every emergency notification we receive, we realize the most important thing is to keep you and our employees safe," the staff wrote in a Facebook post on Dec. 18. "We aren’t going away, just a safety hiatus."

The cafe typically hires those with diagnoses such as downs syndrome, traumatic brain injuries, autism spectrum disorders, post traumatic stress disorder and mental health challnges, according to its website.

To help support the cafe, a Palo Alto local launched Ada's Auction, offering community members the opportunity to bid on items or simply make a donation.

In an effort to save the nonprofit from permanent closure, the auction was launched by Palo Alto resident Firoozeh Dumas, Palo Alto Online reported.

Dumas hopes to raise $250,000 to support the cafe's mission and its employees.

In pre-coronavirus times, Ada's had a bustling catering business with more than 300 events planned in 2020.

"Until the pandemic, we were very proud of our ability as a non-profit training program, to be able to cover 70 perent of our costs through café sales and catering events," staff wrote on Ada's website.

But like countless other establishments across California, the cafe has struggled to keep its doors open. Sales were recently down 80 perent, Palo Alto Online reported. And its staff of 50 was reduced to 12, according to the cafe's website.

"Unlike other employees of businesses that have closed during the pandemic, Ada's employees with disabilities cannot simply find another job," staff members wrote on the auction page. "With no catering business in sight and cafe sales when we are open at a fraction of what they were pre-pandemic, Ada's fixed and variable expenses are well in excess of our revenues."

The cafe operation, according to its website, costs $20,000 per month as the nonprofit transitions out of its kitchen lease.

Those interested in bidding on items or making a donation can visit this page. Companies interested in sponsoring the cafe may email [email protected] or call at 650-269-5505.