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STAGE IN OUR PROJECT COMMUNITY SERIES. TUCKED ALONG A BIKE PATH IN LACONIA, THIS DISCRETE -- DISCRE ET CAFE EMBODIES A STRIKING SENSE OF COMMUNITY. AT THE HEART OF IT ALL IS DAWN LONGVAL, WHO JUST A YEAR AGO BROUGHT FOOD AND MUSIC TO A SMALL GROUP IN A PARK. >> WE JUST WANTED TO BRING SOME HOPE, SOME LIGHT TO THE DARKNESS OF WHAT WAS GOING ON. MIKE FRIDAY, SHE AND HER HUSBAND DAVE HELP DOZENS WHO ARE DOWN ON THEIR LUCK. >> THEY ARE GREAT PEOPLE, JUST IN A RUT, AND WE FELL IN LOVE WITH THEM. MIKE IN JANUARY OF 2018, THEY PURCHASED AND THEN REFURBISHED A BUILDING OFF NEW SALEM STREET. >> WE HAVE TWO SHOWER ROOMS, SO PEOPLE CAN TAKE SHOWERS. WE HAVE A LAUNDRY ROOM WITH THREE STACKABLE WASHER DRYERS IN THEM. MIKE: AND FIVE DAYS A WEEK -- >> CHEF GRETCHEN, CHEF PEGGY. MIKE: THEY OFFER A FULL CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST AS WELL AS LUNCH. >> WE WANTED IT TO BE A PLACE WHERE THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE AND WANTED, NOT JUST RUSH THEM OUT THE DOOR. MIKE: AND THAT ALLOWS VISITORS TO WALK AWAY WITH FULL STOMACHS AND A FULL HEART AS WELL. >> IT’S A BEAUTIFUL FEELING BECAUSE IT IS LIKE FAMILY. EVERYBODY CONNECTS IN THEIR OWN WAY. THEY ARE REALLY GOOD PEOPLE. MIKE: IT’S A GROWING FAMILY TREE THAT DAWN SAYS WOULDN’T BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT FAITHFUL VOLUNTEERS. >> WE HAVE THREE CHEFS THAT DO A LOT. THEY ARE HERE MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEK. WE SERVE ABOUT 50 PEOPLE PER DAY. MIKE: DAWN AND DAVE ARE FROM DONE. THEY ARE SEEKING FUNDING TO REPAIR THE SECOND

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A Laconia couple is helping address the issue of homelessness by giving people in need a safe place to go.Isaiah 61 Café, tucked along a bike path in Laconia, is a project by Dawn and Dave Longval. Dawn Longval said that a year ago, she brought food and music to a small group of people in a park."We just wanted to bring some hope, some light to the darkness that was around here," she said.She and her husband now help dozens of people every day who are down on their luck."They're great people who are just in a rut, and we fell in love with them," Dave Longval said.In January 2018, the Longvals refurbished a building off New Salem Street into Isaiah 61 Café."We have two shower rooms, so people can take showers," Dawn Longval said. "We have a laundry room with three stackable washer-dryers in them."Five days a week, they offer a full continental breakfast and lunch."We want it to be casual, a place that they felt comfortable and wanted and not just a place where we serve them lunch and rush them out the door," Dave Longval said.The Longvals said their visitors walk away with full stomachs and full hearts."It's a beautiful feeling, because it's like family," volunteer Jessica Hafford said. "Everyone connects in their own ways. They're really good people."Dawn Longval said none of it would be possible without their volunteers."We have three chefs that do a lot," she said. "They are here multiple times a week. We serve about 50 people a day."The Longvals said they have more plans. They are fundraising to get the money to repair the second floor of the building to add a full-time doctor and examination room.