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Brewing Hope: Coffee, Community, and Compassion
Manage episode 477500779 series 2839001
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"What does it mean to truly feel called to serve?" Rob Bergfalk, founder of Compassion Church and Compassion Coffee in Anoka, Minnesota, answers this question through powerful action rather than mere words.
When news reports in 2018 showed hundreds of people living in tent cities along Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis, something stirred deeply within Rob. As a youth pastor with 12 years of restaurant industry experience, he found himself uniquely positioned to respond. The result? A visionary model combining faith community and social enterprise to address homelessness through dignity-giving employment and skills training.
Rob takes us through his three-year journey from initial calling to opening Compassion Church in 2021 near Stepping Stone Emergency Housing, a 66-bed homeless shelter. Understanding that sustainable impact requires sustainable funding, Rob and his wife Kelsey developed an innovative plan: create a coffee shop that would both employ people experiencing homelessness and generate revenue for their mission.
The path wasn't immediate. They started small with a coffee cart at local events like Anoka's famous Halloween celebrations before securing their permanent location in late 2023. Today, Compassion Coffee not only serves premium beverages from award-winning Silverbird Roasting but provides comprehensive training in barista skills, customer service, budgeting, conflict resolution, and other essential life skills.
What makes their approach particularly effective is the collaborative community network they've built with organizations like Hope for Youth, Family Promise, and Stepping Stone. Together, they create pathways of support for people of all ages experiencing housing insecurity.
"I learned that when I thought I was coming to be the hero, that's not the case," Rob shares. "If you enter with humility, you actually grow." This perspective flips the traditional charity model on its head, revealing how serving others transforms both the helper and the helped.
Looking for inspiration about using business as a force for good? Want to discover how your skills might address community needs? This episode offers practical insights on creating sustainable models for social change through relationship and dignity.
#homeless #hope #coffee
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Chapters
1. Introduction to Kindness Matters Podcast (00:00:00)
2. Feeling Called to Make a Difference (00:01:39)
3. Rob's Journey from Tent Cities to Church (00:04:19)
4. Creating Compassion Coffee (00:10:51)
5. Skills and Support for Homeless Employees (00:15:10)
6. Community Collaboration in Anoka (00:21:35)
7. Closing Thoughts and Contact Information (00:27:59)
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