READING, Pa. – It’s the last day of National Coffee Month, and we’re taking you to a cafe where your cup of Joe can mean so much more than just a boost of caffeine.
69 News Reporter Sydney Kay was in Reading from the shop that is serving up coffee and hope.
Emily Wolfe, Executive Director at nonprofit Cafe Esperanza, said the shop is a “pay what you can” cafe. People can pay just a few dollars or the full price, which is about $10 to $15.
She said people can also pay it forward by paying more than full price, so that the next person doesn’t have to pay, or pay as much.
Wolfe said a lot of people who come to the cafe pay with their time. A patron might wash dishes or clean up the block the cafe adopted through the city.
Some take the time to clean the inside of the building, the parking lot, or the community garden. The garden is like a little farm that provides a lot of the cafe’s food, she said.
Wolfe said the cafe has seen more people in need of food and community.
At the cafe, people can meet each other or meet with their case worker.
People can come to “a nice, cozy place, have a really good cup of coffee, and not feel like they can’t afford it,” she said.
Employee Anthony Furano said he appreciates how the cafe helps serve the homeless community. He said he himself was homeless two years ago.
“I don’t want to be looking at somebody when they’re down, and the only time I do want to look at them is when I’m holding them up,” he said.
The cafe is an “amazing resource” for the community, and he feels “blessed to be a part of this,” he said.
People can donate to the cafe through a GoFundMe, through Venmo, or send the cafe a check in the mail.
For more information, you can head to Cafe Esperanza’s Facebook or Instagram pages.