I've been mulling over recent suggestions for improving the range of services we provide at Coffee to the People while staying conscious of our bottom line. One idea that keeps coming back is the notion of offering special discounts in exchange for assistance from people in the community.

For example, as many of you know, in recent months we have been struggling with technical problems with our wireless routers. While we have tried to resolve these issues in a timely fashion on our own, we are limited by our lack of knowledge (we are coffee experts, not computer experts) and lack of time. It would be great if we could find a professional IT person who would be willing to donate some of their energy and expertise to the shop in exchange for free or discounted products.

Likewise, one area of our shop that has been relatively neglected in recent months is our "Political Action Center." The idea behind this billboard is to keep customers apprised of ways they can get involved in making our world a better place. However, we've been so busy simply keeping the store afloat that we've had trouble keeping the board current.  It would be great to have a volunteer interested and involved in local community activism to maintain this board in exchange for store credit.

If you or someone you know might be interested in pursuing one of these arrangements, let us know. We would be very interested in talking with you.