Every once in a while an idea comes along with the potential to truly make the world a better place. Suspended coffee is one of those ideas.
It started in the coffee shops of Italy after World War 2 where where Italians were trying to rebuild after the devastation. The tradition was that those who were prospering more would give a hand and a cup of coffee to other locals who were still struggling.
First, it’s simple. You walk into a coffee shop and instead of buying just one cup of coffee, you buy two, or more. You buy one for yourself and one for a random person in need. The cashier takes your money and holds it until someone in need comes in and asks if there are any suspended coffees available. That person in need could be a homeless person, or he or she could be a single parent trying to get through the day. It could be an elderly person on a very limited income. It could be a job seeker or student with only a temporary need.
Second, it’s direct. Your purchase goes directly to the cafe or store of your choice. It is given to someone in need with only the local cafe as intermediary. You do not need to worry if your money is going to help someone in need or just to take care of a charity’s overhead and expenses. You also do not need to worry whether or not your recipient will use your gift to buy alcohol or drugs. You control which food or beverage you would like to donate.
Third, it’s win-win. You not only support a person in need, you also support your local business and all it’s employees. Your money does not go to another state, country or continent. It stays right in the neighborhood where it was spent, building the community. This means it’s actually win-win-win with the recipient, business and local community all benefiting.
Lastly, the concepts behind suspended coffee are so flexible they can be used for far more than just coffee. You could buy a hot bowl of nourishing soup, a filling sandwich, water, fruit, bread, or a full meal. Suspended coffee’s simplicity makes it easy to duplicate with other food items. If fact after this movement got started the idea spread back to Italy in the form of Suspended Pizza.