Life & Work with Amelia Warriner of East Colfax

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amelia Warriner.

Hi Amelia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started working at SAME Café as Program Manager in June of 2023 after a long year of job searching. After 8 years as a Licensed Massage Therapist I wanted to explore a career that reflected my education background and passion for community outreach. I received a Bachelor of Science in General Health with a minor in Sociology from The University of Alabama and a Masters Certificate in Health, Humanities, and Ethics from University of Colorado at Anschutz. SAME Café fulfilled that desire. SAME stands for So All May Eat and the cafe is participation based. That means that people can either pay-what-they-can, volunteer for 30 minutes, or bring in fresh produce in exchange for a meal. If you have ever been to SAME Café you know how fast paced the environment can be. Multitudes of volunteers filtering in and out, diners lined up out the door in anticipation of pizza and unlimited soup and salad, and the various happenings outside on E Colfax. After almost two years as program manager I transitioned in April 2025 to the role of Social Media, Marketing, and Partnerships Administrator, and now help coordinate community partnership opportunities for the café.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There is nothing smooth about working on Colfax. However, it is exciting and rewarding. Everyone from all walks of life exists on Colfax. Even though I’ve experienced my fair share of Colfax calamities, I have also experienced some of the most impactful acts of kindness from complete strangers. The stories that cafe guests have shared with me have both ripped my heart open and made my heart whole; sometimes simultaneously. You never know what you are going to get when you work on Colfax Ave, but you definitely know it will never be boring.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve held many different jobs in my 11 years in Denver and all of them have helped me in my roles at SAME Café. I began my Colorado journey as a hospital appointment specialist and that led to me applying to and attending massage school. I disliked the hospital cultural structure and wanted to be closer to patients but didn’t want to have to go back to school for multiple years. During my early years as a Licensed Massage Therapist I held many jobs. I was a nanny for a family with a child with special needs, I worked as a medical tent manager and first aid responder at musical events with a company called JamCare, as a social media manager for a spa, a hotel, and a music festival, and I also worked as a security guard at a night club on Broadway.

With all of these jobs I feel my ability to respond to emergency situations, deescalate, and remain calm has been my greatest strength. Along with that, my ability to listen, and have compassion has greatly helped in those situations. When responding to medical episodes people can be extremely emotional and look for reassurance and calm. I feel I can provide that to people in distressing times. At SAME Café my time in the front of house required all of these skills and sometimes listening to people tell their stories is all you need to do to change someone’s day. Anyone can make a difference just by listening with non-judgmental compassion.

I am most proud of the cafe itself. SAME Café staff continues to show up to create access to healthy food regardless of people’s ability to pay despite the hardships of doing business on Colfax. Broken windows, BRT construction, and difficult emotional and physical labor will not keep SAME Café down. SAME has been serving soup, salad, and pizza in the same location between Race and Vine street for 20 years, and the tenacity of this place proves that SAME doesn’t plan on shutting down any time soon.

What are your plans for the future?
While I continue to practice as a Licensed Massage Therapist and certified yoga teacher, my sights are set on creating and expanding the SAME Café community through the channels of social media, events, and fundraising. I want to focus on getting people inside the cafe because once someone experiences SAME, they are hooked. The mission is noble, the cause is important, and anything I can do to bring awareness to this little cafe doing big things on Colfax the better.

Pricing:

• Volunteer 30 minutes for your meal
• Pay-what-you-can for your meal
• Give fresh produce in exchange for your meal
• 2 slices of pizza and unlimited soup and salad
• also includes an original SAME Café lemon shortbread cookie

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.soallmayeat.org
• Instagram: @samecafedenver
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samecafe
• Other: https://www.soallmayeat.org/denver/donate