Our Story

Awareness about the Recovery Café Model began in 2018 when Revs. Bob  and Linda Kemp-Baird learned from their colleague and friend, Rev. Dana  Bainbridge from San Jose, California, about the formation of Recovery  Café San Jose—one of the many Recovery Cafes that are part of the  growing Recovery Café Network.   

Conversations with Dana  continued until the Summer of 2020 when Rev. Bob, Senior Minister of the  Daytona Beach Drive-In Christian Church, went on sabbatical.  A portion  of his sabbatical was to travel to San Jose where he spent time with  Rev. Dana, co-founder of Recovery Café San Jose and a Marketing Liaison  for the Recovery Café Network, and her staff and team.   

What he experienced there left a lasting impression. 

Recovery  Café San Jose was not just a place for services—it was a community.   Even though the United States was knee deep in the COVID pandemic, Bob  witnessed a place where true community was happening.  The staff went  out on street outreach to bring people food and host Community Chats.   Recovery Café San Jose was fortunate to have a large back porch where  they hosted members for weekly classes and Recovery Circles.  Even  during a national health crisis, Recovery Café San Jose was a place  where people who have experienced trauma, addiction, homelessness, and  mental health challenges could belong. Members were not treated as  clients, but as valued members of a community built on dignity,  accountability, and hope. 

Rev. Bob returned to Daytona Beach  deeply inspired. He shared with leaders and members at the Drive-In  Christian Church that he believed a Recovery Café could make a  meaningful difference in Volusia County. He simply said: our community  needs something like this. 

Soon after, a small group of committed  community members began meeting to explore the idea. They studied the  Recovery Café model, connected with the Recovery Café Network, and began  imagining what such a space could look like in Daytona Beach. 

From  the very beginning, the Daytona Beach Drive-In Christian Church played a  vital role in making the vision possible. The church offered space for  early planning meetings and community conversations, provided financial  support to help cover the costs associated with applying to the Recovery  Café Network, and offered ongoing encouragement as the idea began to  take shape. Rev. Dana Bainbridge also became an early mentor to the  team, helping guide them through the process of building a Recovery Café  from the ground up. 

As momentum grew, leadership began to emerge from within the team. 

Rev.  Linda Kemp-Baird stepped forward—some would say she was “unofficially  elected” by the group—to help guide the effort as the founding Executive  Director. What began as a  volunteer leadership role quickly became the steady force that helped move the dream into reality. 

Under  Linda’s leadership over the next three years, ReNew Recovery Café  transformed from an idea into a thriving community space. 

She  helped shepherd the organization through the process of becoming an  official member of the Recovery Café Network, building the foundational  structure needed for the Café to operate according to the Recovery Café  Network model. Partnerships were formed, volunteers were recruited, and  the first Members began walking through the doors on December 1, 2022.  

Linda worked tirelessly to cultivate a culture of belonging—one  where every person who entered the Café was welcomed with dignity,  compassion, and respect. Programs were developed that focused not only  on recovery from substance use, but also on healing from trauma,  rebuilding community connections, and discovering purpose. 

Under her guidance, the Café grew into a vibrant hub where members gather for  shared meals, peer support, recovery circles, educational classes,  creative expression, and community events. The Café became a place where  individuals who had often felt invisible could rediscover their value  and their voice. 

What started as a small group of people with a  shared vision has now grown into a community that continues to expand  each year. Members support one another, volunteers give generously of  their time, and partnerships across the Daytona Beach community continue  to strengthen the Café’s mission.

Today, ReNew Recovery Café  stands as a testament to what can happen when a community believes that  recovery is possible and that no one should have to walk the journey  alone.

The vision that began with a sabbatical visit across the  country has become a place of hope right here in Daytona Beach—where  healing, belonging, and transformation happen every day.