While many islanders hunker down out of winter’s rain wind and snow, not all members of the community are so fortunate. Some cannot afford coats and go to bed at night with empty bellies. Cynthia Burke created two projects at her restaurant, Cynthia’s Bistro, to keep those struggling fed and warm.
“I can’t take full credit for this. A friend of mine sent me a picture of a lace in Amsterdam that had lined up coats on little picket fences,” Burke said of the coat rack placed on the restaurant’s porch. “Then I read the article and thought what a great idea.” She put out a notice on Facebook letting the community know if they were cleaning out their closet and had coats they wanted to give to those in need, to drop them by. For those needing a jacket, she added, come on by.
Islanders were happy to clean out their closets and clear out coats they weren’t wearing while simultaneously helping someone, according to Burke. “I created a space for people to do good, I’m just the intermediary. I think people are inherently good, they don’t always know how to share it or show it.” Hundreds of coats have come in over the years. Beautiful coats from North Face, Patagonia, Neiman Marcus, thick wool coats and rain jackets of all sizes found second lives with someone who would otherwise struggle to stay warm. Burke hung them all along the picket fence next door on the corner by her restaurant. She also found herself dragging them in every night. “I thought, that’s kind of silly because not everyone wants to be seen when they’re getting a coat. You might be too embarrassed.”
She created a rack with an umbrella that sits outside Cynthia’s. The coats began flying off the rack.
“I’ve had some tell me they use one as a pillow, another as a blanket and have a third they use for their daily,” Burke said. “There is a component of this island that we don’t understand. There are homeless here. We just don’t see it as much [as cities like Seattle or Portland].”
Children’s coats have been popular as well. “Kids fly through their coats. If you go to the thrift store, which is great, that person also has to pay five bucks for that coat. A lot of times they don’t have five bucks. So this provides a space fore those who need coats just like the little libraries,” Burke explained. “My only caveat is that they are workable and somewhat clean. So like, the zipper works, the buttons are there.”
The first year, donors put little gifts inside the pockets as well, according to Burke, like gloves or hand-warmers, a gift certificate, or perhaps some candy.
“It was really sweet and fun. I have lots and lots of fun stories,” she smiled.
But Burke was not done with spreading goodwill. She also began serving “kitchen sink dinners.”
During the winter months, when the need is high, she cooks dinners for anyone who needs one.
Burke began by approaching Vern Howard, owner of Marketplace and Kings, as well as local farmers to see if she could have the not-so-pretty vegetables, surplus produce or anything they would not be able to sell, yet was still eatable. She would cook up what she had in an “everything but the kitchen sink” fashion, and hand them out every other Thursday.
Community members, including her staff, have pitched in and contributed bread, cookies and other items, volunteering to package up the dinners and hand them out. There are usually around 40-50 people.
“Again, I met a whole component of my community that I never knew. Homeless, widows and widowers, people just having a tough moment in life. I’ve had people from boats that were having a financial hardship like their generator blew or something,” Burke said. “They burst into tears, they were so grateful.”
She has received mysterious gifts of kindness in return. The hedges at Cynthia’s have been magically pruned multiple times, for example, pumpkins on her porch were suddenly transformed into Jack-O-Lanterns and the cement walkway was covered with chalk hearts.
Cynthia’s Bistro is closing its doors Dec. 22. In March a new restaurant will open. The goodwill, however, continues.
The coat rack for those needing to give or take a coat will remain on the restaurant’s porch through approximately February. In January there will be one more “Kitchen Sink Dinner,” at Cynthia’s Bistro before Burke begins serving them at the Grange.
“It’s been fun, and I have learned so much,” Burke said. “I want to thank the community for their love and support.”
