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.<\/p>\n
69 News Reporter Sydney Kay was in Reading from the shop that is serving up coffee and hope.<\/p>\n
Emily Wolfe, Executive Director at nonprofit\u00a0Cafe Esperanza<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n She said people can also pay it forward by paying more than\u00a0full price, so that the next person doesn’t have to pay, or pay as much.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wolfe said the cafe has seen more people in need of food and community.<\/p>\n At the cafe, people can meet each other or meet with their case worker.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Employee Anthony Furano said he appreciates how the cafe helps serve the homeless community. He said he himself was homeless two years ago.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n The cafe is an “amazing resource” for the community, and he feels “blessed to be a part of this,” he said.<\/p>\n People can donate to the cafe through a GoFundMe, through Venmo, or send the cafe a check in the mail.<\/p>\n For more information, you can head to Cafe Esperanza’s Facebook<\/a> or Instagram<\/a> pages.<\/p>\n