No Fear Cafe in Roanoke offering free lunch, asking for donations

The cafe runs out of the First Christian Church kitchen on Church Avenue.

ROANOKE, Va. – A new cafe is open for business in downtown Roanoke and the food is free.

Tanya Andersson and her mother Janet Brown opened the No Fear Cafe this week to bring in community members for food and conversation.

The cafe runs out of the First Christian Church kitchen on Church Avenue. There is no charge for the food, they simply ask for donations.

The church's pastor says the cafe is an experiment in community outreach, and Andersson calls it a "food ministry."

"If we get people together and they start to talk, they can realize that they're aren't so many differences between people and maybe we can help the community. That's mainly the purpose," said Andersson.

The No Fear Cafe serves mostly Jamaican cuisine right now. But Andersson says they hope to serve more international food soon.

The cafe is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 to 2 p.m.