Brother Andre’s Café
I received an email just a little bit before Christmas. In part, it read;
“You all may feel a little disheartened this time of year with the pandemic and chaos we are facing, but maybe this little bit of good news will give you a ray of hope. Milestone Supported Employment assisted in opening a café. This café is staffed by people we serve and finding employment for them has been challenging. Development of Brother Andre’s Café has been led by Mike and Terri Fitzgerald, parents of a person we support. It has been a pleasure working with them, and we have seen them pour countless hours into making this a reality. The ultimate goal will be to have Patrick, Mike and Terri’s son, work in a safe, supported environment doing something he absolutely loves to do. Baking Cookies! The online portion of the business is booming! We invite you to visit brotherandres.org to learn about these incredible people and their wonderful opportunity. 2020 was a tough year but everything will get better. Have faith in that! Brother Andre’s Café will be a sanctuary for everyone to visit and be at peace. You will be able to enjoy Patrick’s cookies, Presley’s coffee, and Michael’s companionship.”
Prior to receiving this email, I was wondering what to buy for my fellow coffee lovers. This email was like hitting the lottery for me! I ordered that same day. And with free shipping I might add!! My package of three coffee flavors was delivered within three days…notably faster than anything I have received from my big-box, free-shipping place I usually order from. (Despite my account subscription paying to get rapid shipping, but that is another story.) As soon as my order arrived, I brewed a pot of coffee. Love at first sip! This coffee was delicious. Better yet, it was local!
I forwarded that email around after my first pot of coffee. I don’t know if anyone ordered anything or not. My hope is that they did, otherwise they are missing out!
Another bonus to Brother Andres, because I know you are wondering, is they have a subscription program! What is that? This takes the brain out of brainstorming when searching for a gift. You can have coffee (and even cookies) sent weekly, biweekly, monthly, etc., to someone. The “road to hell is paved with good intention,” or so the saying goes. That adage sums me up to a tee. I have a great idea…it’s just my follow through! Recently a fellow coffee drinker and friend of mine suffered a huge personal loss, I am not saying cookies and coffee every other month will solve her problems, but it will remind her that someone is thinking of her.
Like many people, I try to support local organizations. However, when it comes to coffee, I can be a bit “headstrong” shall we say. I eat, sleep, and breathe coffee. I am not super particular, but I can say, if I have ever been served a bad cup of coffee somewhere, that place will never be revisited.
Why do I bring all this up? Here is why, we all still have a whole year of giving ahead of us. Further, we may know someone who would benefit from a little sunshine in their life in the form of a good cup of coffee. Why not continue to support local? Why not give back to the people who provide our field with the very jobs we have? And perhaps most importantly, why turn down a great cup of coffee?
