View Royal’s A Kinder Cup coffee shop is finding new ways to bring kindness to their community.
A Kinder Cup was started back in 2018 when Kim Dufort had an idea about how to give back to adults living with developmental disabilities.
“We started in January of 2018 to pursue the concept of the coffee shop and the purpose of it is to provide employment for adults with developmental disabilities. It’s been a very very rewarding experience,” says Dufort.
The idea was a hit, and now there’s a new concept on the horizon called Kindness Coffee. Customers can put whatever amount of money they want into a kindness fund, whether it’s $2.50 for a cup of coffee or buying a whole meal.
“They can decide how much money they want to contribute,” says Dufort. “When customers [come] in that want to redeem it then they just ask to be part of the Kindness Coffee redemption program,” she adds.
Introduced before the pandemic began, the idea was brought back to life by eager customers when the coffee shop reopened in May. Without any promotion, the idea blossomed.
“We still had customers who saw it when we first reopened, they saw the kindness board and just came over and added on to it. It’s been very well received,” says Dufort.
The little blue notes have filled the cafe bulletin board and has added a ray of positivity to the shop and its patrons.
“I’ve contributed a couple of times and I’ve been the benefit of somebody who’s paid for my coffee. It’s just such a lovely thing to do in what’s considered to be a pretty stressful time,” says regular customer Susan Engel.
“This is a really fun place to come for coffee, being around a great environment,” adds shop Kindness Ambassador Greg Hinds.
To find out more about A Kinder Cup and how to get involved with the Kindness Coffee campaign, visit their website.
Cole Sorenson
