Our Club's Paul Harris Fellow Committee selected Mark Forinash of Cafe Moxo as our 2025 Paul Harris Fellow and recognized his team for their service to the community. In his citation, Club member Bob Stuart (image on left) noted that "Mark and his team are rising stars in the community. He and his team epitomize Rotary dedication to the community through vocational and community service at it's finest." We presented a Paul Harris Fellow Certificate, Medallion, and Pin to Mark Forinash and also recognized the contributions of his team at our Annual RI Foundation Night on February 24 (images below).
Mark and his Cafe Moxo Team have made numerous contributions to the community. In April 2020, Cafe Moxo started feeding breakfast and lunch to those in need from their Adams Street location in Downtown Springfield. It wasn’t long before they realized that there were more people who needed help than what they initially realized. After establishing a drive-through, pick-up system, Cafe Moxo later delivered meals to some who were homeless and staying in local hotels. Cafe Moxo also provided meals to The Salvation Army and local churches, even on Sunday’s when the restaurant was normally closed.“This is an opportunity to really come together and put words into action. It’s all about giving back to the community that’s given so much to us [Cafe Moxo],” Forinash said about the food giveaways.
Mark Forinash, the owner of Cafe Moxo, sprinted down the sidewalk along East Adams Street with a replenished box of bagged meals as the restaurant delivered them to anyone in need on Sunday, November 15, 2020. Forinash, along with his wife Shawna, and general manager Brandon Hughes gave out 500 meals in twenty minutes on that day.
After the 2024 Adams Street fire forced their downtown location to close, Forinash noted that "Our goal is to keep every employee on staff....We are 100% taking care of our employees; that’s non-negotiable for my wife, Shawna, and I. These are the people who make downtown what it is.”
In response to the Adams Street fire, he and his team continued to serve the community. "We used those hours that were traditionally used in the restaurant to work at the Breadline, St. Martin de Porres, and Washington Street Mission." He pledged that “We’ll go around downtown and pick up trash and remove graffiti or paint, do things to really help out the city. There’s no reason why we can’t use this time efficiently. We’re going to put our people to work; these guys need something to do.”
The fire and structural damage and the demolition of the proximal building ultimately forced Forinash to make the decision to relocate the business from their down location. Fortunately they reopened this spring at their new location on Chatham Road. We expect that their dedication to the community will continue from this new location!