Lunch and compassion on the menu at Alleyway Cafe

The classified ad read, “Free van to charitable organization.” Marcy Romans and Darla Trinkaus knew right then and there that their prayers had been answered.

Romans and Trinkaus desperately needed a van to continue their Alleyway Cafe ministry.

The Alleyway Cafe is appropriately named since the women park their van in the alley behind the Coeur d’Alene Labor Ready office at 19th and Sherman Avenue.

They set up camp in the back of the van and hand out lunches to the men and women who show up for work each morning.

Both Romans and Trinkaus rise at 4 a.m. to prepare 20 lunches, and have done so since the week after Easter 2004, Monday through Friday, rain or shine. They arrive at Labor Ready at 6 a.m., stay until 7, and then go to their day jobs at 8.

Romans works as a home-care aide and has two sons. Trinkaus sterilizes operating room instruments and also has two sons.

Some days they would “prefer to keep on sleeping,” but Romans says their belief “that this is what God wants them to do” keeps them going.

“We are here because we are supposed to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and spread the gospel,” Trinkaus says.

The women, along with help from Jan Nordberg, have prepared and distributed 3,740 lunches over the last year. Nordberg is in charge of the backroom preparation and is “indispensable,” according to Romans.

Lunch consists of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chips, cookies, an apple and a prayer or Scripture printed on a piece of paper. Food donations come from area soup kitchens, food banks and local merchants.

“Many of those workers would go hungry during the day if it were not Romans and Trinkaus,” says Kevin Kram, director and founder of Cherished One Ministries. “Men with families roll into town looking for work and often are not able to afford lunch.”

The Alleyway Cafe is part of Cherished Ones Ministries, which is headquartered at the Spokane Dream Coeur d’Alene Outreach Center at Ninth and Best.

The van also has bagels, cream cheese and doughnuts for a quick breakfast.

“Once a month we make a real breakfast,” Romans says. Breakfast burritos and juice are served to the delight of the morning’s patrons.

“We also try to be a resource for people by handing out maps, and a list of community agencies they can turn to for help if they need it.” Blankets are kept in the van and distributed when needed, and a kerosene heater warms many a soul on a dark, damp, winter morning.

Romans and Trinkaus speak warmly of their boxer, Chance, who greets strangers with a tail-wagging, friendly hello.

“Chance is our social ambassador and gets people to open up,” Trinkaus says. “They may not talk to us but they love petting our dog.

“By providing a little lunch we believe our ministry is making a difference in the lives we touch,” says Trinkaus. “We show them that somebody cares and that there is encouragement and hope.”