Shelton-Mason County Journal - Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886

On Feb. 1, about 100 people joined the nonprofit Community Lifeline in celebrating the grand opening of the Recovery Café at its shelter in downtown Shelton.

The Recovery Cafe is committed to being a safe, drug-free and alcohol-free space and is designed to "help people maintain recovery, reduce relapse and fulfill potential," the agency states.

The program offers weekly recovery circles, fun activities, health clinics, support meetings, job readiness training and classes, and peer support and resource connections. Membership is open to anyone able to remain free of alcohol and drugs, including marijuana, and attend the weekly recovery circles.

"All pathways lead to recovery," said Athena Ayres, Community Lifeline's executive director.

The initial hours, which Ayres calls a "soft opening," are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The goal is to eventually be open every day, she said.

The goal is to provide people in need with "a fellowship and be connected with others," said Tammy Bacigalupo, the program manager for the Recovery Café. The café "is also a space for a safe setting that's welcoming, a place to just hang out," she said. "You don't have to go to a restaurant with your sponsor."

Partners in the program include the state Health Care Authority, Peninsula Community Health Services, Medtriq Treatment Services, WorkSource, Northwest Resources, Quixote Villages and Olympic Health and Recovery Services.

The spacious downstairs room that houses the Recovery Café used to be the site of meals during the day, with cots and mats set up at night for sleep. Now all the beds are upstairs.

"It's a big transformation from what it was," Ayres said.

The shelter now offers 35 beds each night, and they have all been filled the past week, Ayres said.

For more information on the program or to become a sponsor, volunteer or facilitators, contact Community Lifeline at 360-462-4439 or [email protected]