When the second wave of COVID-19 hit in Maitland, Alina Mackee was determined to focus on how she could be there for her community in these difficult times.
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Since then she's arguably busier than ever, but not in the way you might think.
Her quirky cafe, The Cunning Cullinarian in High Street, had to go back to takeaway and coffee from the serving window.
She made her customers laugh with a breakfast pack with all the important ingredients, including a roll of premium toilet paper, and nourished them with coffee, treats and a generous menu.
She supported the Lorn Surgery's pop-up testing clinic with free coffee as a thank you when lines were so long people were waiting several hours for a test.
And she put her staff before herself and closed the business when they told her they no longer felt safe amid rising case numbers and some customers failing to wear masks and social distance.
It was an emotional moment for her, but she put down her apron and leant on her skills as a former nurse - this time working double shifts 7 days a week to help vaccinate the community.
She had already been helping to vaccinate outside the cafe's hours, so with more free time she stepped up and took on more shifts.
On top of that, she's made it possible for customers to buy Father's Day treat boxes and grazing platters from the cafe.
She will also hold a Dad's School zoom cooking class at 6pm on Friday where participants will make two delicious courses.
"Being there for my community, and my team, has always been at the heart of everything I do," she said.
"The purpose of staying open has always been about being a mainstay of the community, offering a smile and comfort, and of course keeping my staff in work. Their stability and welfare is the primary reason for staying open, which is why I made the decision to close as soon as they expressed feelings that their safety felt compromised."
With case numbers now on the decline, the coffee window opened again this week and offered a limited menu.
Ms Mackee wants to do what she can to support other businesses who are struggling and help promote their products and share them with her customers.
She said this lockdown had a very different feel to the one last year, and customers had responded differently.
"Last year it felt like the routine/normalcy of morning coffee and a treat became very important to people, and even though so many of our customers were working from home we would still see them most days, but this year there has been more of a weariness," she said.
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Belinda-Jane Davis
Passionate about community news
Passionate about community news
