When she opened Kuppajo Espresso Bar on Larch Street in downtown Sudbury this past February, Betty-Ann Serré started taking notice of the homeless people walking the streets outside her café.
So she started offering free cups of coffee or food to the homeless whenever she could. She also does this for seniors on a budget, single moms who have fallen on hard times or anyone in need, really.
“There's a gentleman, he's outside a lot,” Serré said. “When I give him a coffee, I put a smile on his face. Or there was one gentleman who comes around occasionally for a sandwich. It's like he won a million dollars when I give him a sandwich. That makes me feel good.”
Because the small business owner gets so much personal satisfaction from giving away coffee and food, she's decided to give the community the opportunity to do the same thing.
Kuppajo recently joined the Suspended Coffees movement, where customers can pay for an extra coffee or another beverage or food item when they place their order.
Then it's given away later to someone in need.
If someone wants to dip into the Suspended Coffees bucket for a free coffee or sandwich, they just need to ask.
Suspended Coffees was started in 2013 by John M. Sweeney, who had heard about the working-class cafés of Naples, where someone who had experienced good luck would order a sospeso, paying the price of two coffees, but consuming only one.
The movement aims to “restore faith by highlighting the simple acts of kindness happening all around us, and encouraging others to do the same,” said a statement on Suspended Coffees' website.
More than 2,000 cafés worldwide are now participating in Suspended Coffees, although Kuppajo is the first in Sudbury.
“It can be the entire community that gives back,” Serré said. “I think that'll make it that much more special, where it's not just us. You'll be doing it, and you'll feel good about it. It'll make everybody a big family.”
Helping those in need has always been important to the Serré family, said the café owner's daughter, Jasmine Serré.
“Since we were little, one of the greatest qualities myself and my siblings received from my mother was generosity and having a big heart for people that are in need,” Jasmine said.
“We wanted to be able to bring that forward for everyone else to be able to do in our business.”
Kuppajo Espresso Bar is located at 109 Larch St., in the St. Andrew's Place building. It's open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
