Sidra Inam came to the United States from Pakistan in 2019 to join her husband who came and took asylum two years prior. She has been working at Global Grace Cafe for eight months now, all while managing Global Grace Marketplace and Alterations as well.
“Someone called me from this church, from I. Rise, and asked if I could sew, so I said yes, I can do that. I started with sewing masks when COVID came, and after one month they offered me the manager position of Global Grace Marketplace and Alterations.”
I. Rise, short for Interfaith Rise, is the corporate entity for Global Grace Ventures which runs a cafe, and marketplace including alterations, farm, and health. The business is located in Highland Park, New Jersey, in the same building as the Reformed Church.
According to the Interfaith Rise website, they “are committed to resettling refugees in central and southern New Jersey, assisting asylum seekers, and supporting local faith and civic groups as they advocate for and work with refugees in their own communities.”
Mosaics supporting immigration and community building adorning the brick wall outside the Reformed Church of Highland Park, NJ where Global Grace Cafe is located. Center: Hand-crafted items in Global Graces fair trade marketplace. PHOTOS | Madhavi Steinert
The Volunteer and Donation Coordinator for Interfaith Rise, who asked to remain anonymous, named certifications in food safety being one of the many skills Global Grace provides. Refugees are more equipped with this credential to find a better paying job as they resettle further.
“Global Grace provides career options and skills for our refugee clients so they can feel safe,” she said.
The Cafe is one way Interfaith Rise carries out their mission, providing refugees with pre-employment experience, teaching them the procedures of the workforce, building their skills for them to take to another better, future job, and even helping them learn English.
Another senior official at Interfaith Rise, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “Most refugees arriving in the United States have trauma. I never ask what they experienced because it doesn’t matter. It can re-traumatize them. We provide mental health services, but that’s for them to work on.”
Inam began working towards resettlement when the Executive Director of Interfaith Rise, Pastor Seth Kaper-Dale, made that first phone call.
“My church gave a lot of support to her husband before Sidra and his children were able to come. When they got here, I was just so impressed by their whole family. When we got to early summer 2020, I started looking for ways to employ Sidra,” he said.
Since working for many of the Global Grace ventures, Inam says she thinks the core mission is to show the community traditions from around the world.
“On Monday we have Nigerian food, on Tuesday it’s Afghani, on Wednesday it’s Guatemalan, on Thursday it’s Afghani again, and on Friday it’s Indonesian. Sometimes I make a manager special that’s Pakistani food, maybe once or twice a week, whenever I have time,” she said, laughing through her mask.
Each cuisine is made by someone from those countries, all either refugees or asylees training for the workforce, learning English, and earning money to support themselves and their families.
The same senior official at Interfaith Rise said, “We do pay at least 15 dollars an hour for everybody, and we expect then to place the chefs and other staff at the cafe in the jobs that pay that and more in the restaurant industry.”
Jackie Simon, a patron and volunteer from Metuchen, New Jersey, has been supporting Global Grace Cafe by coming in for lunch.
“I come in here on and off. The prices are reasonable, and you get a full lunch,” Simon said.
The coordinator said they even provide lunch to those who cannot afford it, continuing their outreach to the homeless population in the area.
Elizabeth Pallitto of Metuchen, New Jersey, said, “I bought my Christmas presents here.”
Some of the merchandise available to purchase includes hand-crafted earrings, shoes, woven baskets, and even coffee and tea. Not only can these items be purchased in person, but they are available online on their website.
Including new community members, whether they be patrons or volunteers, is a core goal.
“We have internships as well. Kids from Rutgers help with casework to become familiar with the processes, but really you can make it whatever you want,” the coordinator said.
Rev. Kaper-Dale sees the Cafe as the centerpiece of his community, saying, “Having multicultural food speaks to the newly arriving cultures. It seems to have hit the spot.”
