WHAT IT IS: 

When folks began returning to work during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, they had to deal with new customer service issues as well as working in a brand new service model during a national crisis. Of course, this began to take a toll on the person behind the counter.  Aligned with our mission to support, uplift, and defend the hourly coffee professional, the Stay Grounded Initiative (SGI) began to support these workers. SGI’s purpose is to create a pathway for the hourly coffee worker who does not have access to mental health care or has lost access to mental health care due to a position change or job loss.​

HOW IT WORKS:

For SGI, we raise funds through our corporate sponsors, which include Baratza, Torani, and Oatly. With that money, we purchase vouchers for a 3-month membership to Talkspace, which includes unlimited texting and one (1) video call per month. Our goal is to help at least 20 people each cycle.​

​We choose the recipients through a random lottery, reserving half of the spots for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous People of Color) hourly coffee workers and 25% of the vouchers to folks who no longer work as an hourly coffee professional but have in the past 12 months.