MASSILLION, Ohio (WJW) — Greatness is more than just a word.

It is a call to be better and to make your community better.

Cyrus Ausar has always had a policy at the Greatness Cafe that no child should be hungry, so he feeds them with an item off the menu for free.

“I’m all about my community — have always been since I was 13 years old, and it will never stop. As long as I have the Greatness Cafe, it will always be a place for a child to eat who doesn’t have anything,” he said.

About a week ago, two children came into the café, said they were hungry and that they had no money, and asked for food.

Ausar said they gave the pair chicken sandwiches, a drink and some chips. They ate and left.

About 5 minutes later, the two came back with an adult.

“That guy ended up coming in and saying, ‘I thought this was a lie. I thought it was, like, promotion. I thought you were just a guy talking like I’ve seen out here in this world.’ And I said, ‘No, I truly care about the kids.’

“And he said, ‘No, this is not your obligation. Why would you take money out of your pocket to feed the kids?’ And I said, ‘Says who?'” Ausar said.

Ausar said the man broke down in tears and talked about how he grew up poor himself. He then tipped the restaurant $500, and even bought some of Ausar’s books.

He said the gift was an exceptional act of kindness, and that the money will be used to provide roughly 100 or so free meals for children.

But it’s not the gift itself that was important. It’s the fact that this person cares enough about the Massillon community to want to help others. And for Cyrus, it’s a big help.

“That program will never stop for me, so when it was announced before, we got a lot of support. But now, it’s just me carrying the load pretty much by myself,” he said.

The Greatness Cafe is a mental health café. Cyrus is a trained suicide and depression counselor and he said his café is not just a place to eat, but more of a community center that also happens to serve food — and conversation is always welcome.

Greatness comes when you can make your community better. And that means that at the Greatness Cafe, the door will always be open for conversation for anyone — and a little food for hungry children.

Because the real conversation is about making things better for everyone.

“Just try your best to be better than what you were yesterday and continue that every day. That’s what ‘grow into greatness’ means. That’s what Greatness Cafe is,” Ausar said.

If you would like to find out more information about the Greatness Cafe and its mission, visit Ausar’s website.