How do you change the world, one cup of coffee at a time?  It seems like a daunting proposition at first.  There are lots of people out there doing things like this, donating five cents from every bit of inventory sold, etc.  These are all good companies – and honestly, we’d like to meet them – but let’s think a little bit differently.  How do you take a mission and make it part of the community, just by selling coffee?

That question is what is being answered at the Cracked Pot Coffeeshop in Dillsburg, PA, where the (excellent) cup of coffee you purchase suddenly becomes so much more for the young people working there.  You see, the young folks working there aren’t the “average”(whatever that might mean) teens.  The mission of the Cracked Pot is to help provide some of the softer skills many of us take from granted to a unique population: those young people who have either “aged-out” of the foster care system – or are about to do so.

We got to sit down with owner Emily Schmidt recently, whose life-long dream of owning and operating a coffeeshop….isn’t quite the picture she had at first.  So how did it go from just a childhood dream to a mission to help the area’s older foster kids?  The answer is rather simple, according to her: God simply put it in her heart.  But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.  As married couples often do, Emily and her husband talked of children and family, and they both realized they had a strong inkling that fostering a child may be the route for them.  So, the research began, and one of the standout things they learned was the astounding number of youth aging out of the system who were unprepared for the challenges they would face as young adults in the community.  Many of these fledging adults lack the support network that so many of us take for granted.  Whether that is help with homework or learning personal finance skills, or even just a friend to help with the daily ups and downs of life, The Cracked Pot – and the staff there - has become a safe haven for many in need.

How many of us have had someone – a parent, grandparent, mentor, coach, etc – who have stood by us as we learn what kind of adult we want to be?  And it was likely NOT simple for us.  Many of the youth in the foster care system do not have this luxury.  Without a helping hand, the number of young people who find themselves in serious trouble  - from those in prison to those abducted, to those with substance abuse issues – is staggering.  In a way, they are another sub-set of a “forgotten” population, living right next door to us.  So, in 2016, Emily and the other board members (because this is a non-profit organization, after all) began building the framework that would become one giant caffeine-fueled mission to serve the underserved.  In May, 2018, they opened the doors and served their first cup of java.  Since then, seventeen youth have become a part of the family at the Cracked Pot.  Some are there for a short time, volunteering, and others stay for a while longer, but in the three years of operating, the successes far outweigh the challenges.

And there ARE challenges. Emily describes it as a “roller coaster ride of emotions.”  Each success – and consequently, each occasional failure – is a learning moment for the youth and for the amazing team of individuals who work here.  Each young person coming through the shop has their own unique set of needs, and catering to those needs isn’t a cookie-cutter process.  Some might require a counselor, or a case worker, or someone to help them get a driver’s license, or maybe even a job and setting up their first apartment.  This team is here for them, to dance on Christmas morning and cry together on those really hard days, too.  It’s a family.  It’s got scars and dents and occasionally, a few cracks in the jar.

That’s where the name comes from.  2 Corinthians 4:7-9 says, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.  We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”  According to Emily (and Saint Paul), everyone has their cracks and, through the power of God’s love and grace, we can be made whole again.  But the idea of fixing the cracks in pots isn’t just a Christian perspective.  The art of Kintsugi – or, putting pieces of a broken pottery back together using gold to fill the cracks – is built on a similar idea of embracing flaws and imperfections, and creating something stronger and more beautiful than before.  In this case, the “gold” is a cup of coffee, served with love.

         

So, how can people help this mission, other than just buying a cup of joe or a pastry or a mug (we got one – it was seriously cool)??  In not so many words: reach out.  Try.  Contact your local agencies and see what they need.  They may need mentors, someone to be a “big brother/sister” or someone to help organize an event.  Be willing to help.  And most of all???  Pray.   Pray for the youth they help, pray for the mission, and, well, if you are ever in town, stop by for a cup of coffee, sit a spell on their porch – it’s HUGE – and see a different point of view.

Thanks for sharing this view from the Porch with us, Neighbors!  If you feel like learning more about the Cracked Pot and their mission, you can find them here. 

Your Friendly Neighbors,

Krystal and Bill

There is Always Something Buzzing on Mt. Airy.

 OK, Neighbors, so if you’ve been following us even for a little bit, you know that we like to find those places who are making and doing things that are a little unique.  This time, well, it’s sort of US that are doing something cool – revisiting one of the places we’ve already been!  If you recall, it was around Easter of this year (2021) when we went on the hunt for peanut butter eggs that we were told we simply HAD to try.  So hunt we did, and our hunt brought us to the Paulus Mt. Airy Orchards outside of Dillsburg, PA, where, yes, we had the most magnificent peanut butter eggs.  But the nice thing about an orchard is that things ripen all throughout the growing season, and that brought us back for…..a blueberry festival!!!!

This time, though, we got to spend a little time sitting down with Karen and Dan Paulus, the proprietors of the orchard, and get a glimpse of what life is like from the other side of the proverbial fence.  A gorgeous hot summer day, a bottle of water and under the cover of a shade sail we learned that they have been working this land for 22 years. The orchard was here before Karen and Dan came along, the offerings were not as expansive under the old owner as they are now under the loving care of the Paulus family and staff, just offering apples and peaches. But the old owner knew he needed to find someone who would keep this place a farm, to have the land stay productive. So for a few years before he retired he searched for the right people. Dan had grown up on a farm, “not an orchard” he stated but his family had always been in in agriculture, so they were willing to think about the option.

To the beautiful rolling Pennsylvania hills of established fruit trees they have added blueberries, black berries, raspberries (red and black), elderberries, and even grapes. The original process of “pick your own” was a slow start – with Karen sitting in the back of a minivan - and it became such a big hit with the locals, they were able to expand the storefront a bit.   But, summer is not the only season for having these fun times on the farm. In the fall there is the apple festival with “pick your own apples” and pumpkin season is a big hit with a corn maze and children’s activities that include hayrides.

But since we were here during the blueberry festival, we got to hear how these blueberries were an act of love and experimentation; digging irrigation wells and researching what to add to the earth to make it just what these particular berries need to grow healthy and flavorful, and boy did they do everything right! These were the biggest blueberry bushes we have ever seen, some as high as 6 feet tall, and berries the size of nickels. When talking to the staff on the grounds you get to her what they enjoy doing with the berries when you are not just popping them in their mouth for a juicy treat. From syrups to breads and salad add ins, to ice creams, the options are endless.

The staff are dedicated to this place too.  You see smiling faces and hard workers that are happy to be under the sky working with the bounty of the earth. At peak season the staff number to about 80 locals (some being college student who some back to help out to the part timer that enjoy having their hand in on the production). In the store the ladies are helpful and knowledgeable of the produce, and willing to give you ideas on yummy meals to make out of each vegetable or fruit offerings. And like any good farm they know the bees are a must to keeping everything healthy and happy. Honey is part of the offerings; the apiary is not found on the property but not far away on the land of another member of the Paulus family, adding to the sweet, sweet offerings.

As for growth, this amount of land is perfect for them. 150 acres of a variety of trees, berries, and occasionally adding a patch of rhubarb, or another veg to see how well they do. They are thankful for the opportunity to do this with their lives and to share the bounty with the neighbors and community.

We spent a wonderful time with Karen and Dan, and fully took advantage of the pick your own blue berries and blackberries. And we are looking forward to returning in the fall to take part in Krystal’s favorite season. We think you should come on down to Paulus Mt. Airy Orchard too, no matter what season of the year, you are bound to find a flavor that you can savor.

 

Your friendly neighbors,

Bill and Krystal