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