October 31, 2025 | Stories of Impact
From Needing a Meal to Serving the Community: Dakota’s Story
His journey from addiction and homelessness to stability and growth.
Dakota greets guests at Groundswell Cafe with a smile and a steady presence. To many, he’s simply a kind team member serving meals with care. But behind that smile is a story of struggle, resilience, and the community that helped him find hope.
As a teenager in Cedar Rapids, Dakota dreamed of becoming a famous musician. He even performed with his grunge band on the Groundswell stage. Though music was his passion, he took shop classes in high school to learn welding and auto repair—skills he thought might someday be his “backup plan.”
Life soon presented challenges that music alone couldn’t solve. Growing up, Dakota often felt at odds with his parents, and he carried the weight of blaming himself for their struggles. As a teenager, he started to drift into circles that led him down a destructive path—dabbling in drugs, including heroin, drinking heavily, fighting and being negatively influenced by friends. Violence touched his life directly when he was shot at twice.
When Dakota and his wife Chanelle found out they were expecting a baby, the weight of responsibility collided with these unresolved struggles. After being evicted from their apartment, they bounced from couch to couch until eventually entering a homeless shelter. Instead of being a place of relief, the shelter became a place where Dakota’s inner battles intensified. Surrounded by instability, he began to spiral further, nearly overdosing more than once. It was in this lowest valley that a glimmer of hope appeared. Someone at the shelter told them about Groundswell Cafe’s pay-it-forward meals—a safe space where they could come for food and dignity.
Walking through the Groundswell Cafe doors, Dakota realized it was the same place he’d once played music as a teenager. He and Chanelle began coming in weekly for a meal—his favorite was the Thai Chicken Wrap. When their son Holliday was just four days old, they brought him to the Cafe, where staff welcomed them with kindness and respect.
Over time, Dakota got to know the Cafe staff, especially Brittany, who encouraged him first to volunteer and then, in March, to join the team as an employee. He embraced the opportunity, learning new skills—like how to make a Breve coffee drink—and pouring himself into serving others.
Today, Dakota is known for his warm smile and dedication to both customers and coworkers. He loves cooking for Cafe guests, chatting with people over Caesar salads and pulled pork sandwiches, and listening to 60’s music while he works. One recent visitor even left a glowing review about being “blown away” by Matthew 25’s mission, specifically noting how helpful Dakota was in sharing the story of Groundswell.
Outside of work, Dakota loves being a dad more than anything. His now 15-month-old son Holliday, named after Doc Holliday, is smart, curious, and full of life. Dakota is determined to equip him with the knowledge, patience, and perseverance he himself has learned. Reflecting on his journey, Dakota shared: “There is so much you can accomplish by working hard now for your future—instead of just having fun and thinking you can work on your future later.”
He also believes that both raising a child and working at Groundswell take a village. “It takes a community willing to help others in the community,” he said. Dakota hopes that by sharing his story, he can encourage others—even if it’s just one person—to make the right choices in life, listen to those who want to help, and put their best foot forward. By being open about his own challenges and lessons learned, he hopes to help others avoid the same mistakes he once made.
Dakota and his family now have a stable apartment, and he’s even saving to buy a guitar so he can play music again. He knows how hard it is to get through life when things are tough and you don’t have a job or money for food.
“A good meal can go a long way,” he said. “It’s hard to work on an empty stomach.” Dakota’s story shows what can happen when kindness and chance come together. Coming from a place of need to now serving others, he reminds us why Groundswell Cafe and Matthew 25 are here: to build hope, dignity, and community, one person at a time.
Read more from our Fall 2025 Newsletter