BOSTON — Even as the economy bounces back, a lot of people are still hurting financially.
Ula Café in Jamaica Plain is now introducing a way for neighbors to help neighbors, so no one goes hungry.
As a steady stream of customers gets their breakfast at the café, many of them are also buying something for a complete stranger, too.
The café now has a Pay it Forward wall.
“The pandemic hurt a lot of people and I don’t want that to be stopping people from coming in our doors,” said Ula co-owner Beth Santos.
When Santos and her co-owners took over the café earlier this summer, adding the wall was one of the changes they made.
“Basically, you can add something to your order and write it on a Post-it note, and then we have a place where we publicly post it. Anyone, if they’re short of cash for any reason whatsoever, can pull it off the wall and redeem it free of charge,” explained Santos.
Barista Sophie Gemeinhardt has seen how an act of kindness can change someone’s life.
One man came into the café and asked if he could work for $5 so he could buy something to eat. That wasn’t an option, but Gemeinhardt directed him to the wall, and he was able to get something to eat.
Santos hopes this wall can bring the neighborhood closer together. She is confident it will even though it’s providing something as simple as a bagel or a cup of coffee.
“I think we forget that each of us has our own power and we can all do something.”
Customers ordering online are also able to pay it forward as well.
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