ROGERS -- Whether it's buying clothes, school supplies for children or fresh groceries, people facing hard times have a clearinghouse in Northwest Arkansas thanks to local charitable farms and community centers.

At the well-lit Samaritan Community Center and Farm in Rogers, visitors stop to greet the friendly volunteers before taking a seat at a table in the cafe for a free hot meal -- a dining experience, prepared by chefs and delivered by those volunteers. The center even arranges fresh flowers for the cafe tables every week that are grown at a Samaritan center in Springdale, which boasts its own cafe.

The cafes in Rogers and Springdale are open to the public Tuesday-Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and serve produce harvested daily from Samaritan's farm during the growing season.

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