Kevin McCabe, assistant director of Café the Lodge, explained the café offers transitional employment to people of Northampton County who have a mental health diagnosis that is a barrier for employment, such as anxiety or depression.

There’s a training program and those who are employed there are paid. “We work on the barriers and help them find competitive employment,” McCabe said, adding they provide help with résumés and job searches.

“There’s also a residential program for residents of Northampton County who are low income, have a mental health diagnosis and are struggling with independence,” McCabe said. “Seventy percent of those who are independent and on their own still need support. We help them develop independent living skills while offering mental health support.”

Those in the residential program reside in shared apartments at Café the Lodge or in a single apartment in Southside Bethlehem.

Tammy McCulloch, office manager at Café the Lodge, is an artist herself and will have her work showcased in an exhibit in the Cappuccino Room in September and October.

“We have an art show every month in the Cappuccino Room,” McCulloch, who coordinates the gallery, said, adding there is a waiting list until May 2024 for exhibits. “In the café we display the work of artists in the community with a mental health diagnosis and who use art as therapy. The artists set their prices.”

Angela Lender run the gallery at Recovery Partnership at the Northampton County Drop-In Center. Her painting, “Healing Thoughts - COVID Will End,” which she painted while she had covid, is displayed in the dining area of Café the Lodge.

“Art and music are what I use to stay well,” Lender said.

Lender said Recovery Partnership holds an art exhibit the first Friday of each month from 12 to 2 p.m. featuring the work of artists in recovery. “You can purchase art or come and create during the exhibit,” Lender said, adding 100 percent of the purchase price goes to the artist.

“We’re celebrating healing through art.”

“We’re two separate companies but one big community,” Lender said of Recovery Partnership and Café the Lodge.

The Recovery Partnership exhibits are held at the Northampton County Drop-In Center, 70 West North St., Suite 101, Bethlehem. For more information call 610-861-2741.