Getting out of her car outside a TJ Maxx, she walked by a young teenage boy laying on the sidewalk, crying, his bicycle next to him. Her husband, Tony, joined her in that stance. Those who started showing up in front of them, in their hometown of Medford, Oregon, were young traumatized people using drugs to fill the void in their lives.
As they listened to and got to know these young people, Stephanie and Tony found that what they wanted most was community; they needed, as we all do, people who would be there for them. Against the advice of their friends and family, the Mendenhalls began extending invitations: come on over to our place to catch the game, or have a meal, or hang out. Word spread about Stephanie and Tony, about the people they were meeting and the community being built.
The next day, Stephanie met that young woman, Patti Dunkin, for the first time. Stephanie offered Patti her phone number and would periodically help her out with food, or a ride. Patti was 25, wrestling with an addiction to heroin. She saw beyond her addiction.
Once Patti had gone through detox, she contacted the Mendenhalls. She needed a place to live. The Mendenhall family took the extraordinary step of inviting Patti, and her pound pit bull Zeke, to live with them. Doing so was not without its risks.
After six months Patti did go back to using heroin so had to leave the home. But, after going through treatment again, she eventually moved back in and lived with the Mendenhalls for five years. As the community grew, the Mendenhalls began dreaming about a for-profit coffee house.
