Every morning, dozens of students at Dominion High School enjoy free breakfast provided by Titan Café.  Titan Café is an institution unique to Dominion, staffed by volunteers and run on donations from local companies and restaurants.

Titan Café had a small scare in February when it seemed as though LCPS would shut them down during an audit.  The Support Dr. Brewer account tweeted, “LCPS announces closing of DHS Titan Café Breakfast Club.  Provided by parents with no funding from LCPS or ATLAS”.  After meeting with Becky Rays, the LCPS Director of Nutrition Services, however, the “misunderstanding that [Titan Café] was competing with the school lunch program … got cleared up” since Titan Café is not violating any rules by providing free food, explained Guambo.

Currently, Carmella Guambo and Tisha Downes serve as the coordinators of Titan Café.  Guambo explained that she got involved, after former coordinator Lisa Toohey stepped down, because “I believe it is a great program [and] I didn’t want to see it go away”.

The food and services provided by Titan Café are completely free for students.  According to Ms. Guambo, “Joey’s Café donates food every night” and “a volunteer picks up pastries and then delivers them to school the next morning”.  Additionally, Costco provides some food and the coordinators “ask [local] businesses to donate money”.  The popular Chick-fil-a Tuesday’s Program occurs when Chick-fil-a “donates on the second Tuesday of every month,” Guambo said.

The origins of Titan Café go back to the Titan Breakfast Club started by teacher Jill Crispino in 2003.  The program was set up because “when the school opened, this teacher noticed a lot of students outside in the cold waiting” and “asked Dr. Brewer if she could have the kids come to a central are where they could all chat and get to know one another,” said Guambo.  Initally serving just coffee and hot chocolate to a small group of students, the program has since evolved to provide a valuable service for the entire school.

For the rest of the school year, and hopefully many years to come, students can continue to rely on the volunteers at Titan Café for a quick and delicious breakfast every day.