Coffee + Neighbors

UPDATE: Our fundraiser went well! We sold enough bags to donate $700 to Kirkwood Cares for the project!

We (Taproom) came to the Kirkwood neighborhood of Atlanta four and a half years ago. Over that short time we've seen a lot of changes take place around us - businesses have opened and thrived in previously-vacant buildings, new residential and commercial developments have popped up, streets occasionally get blocked off because of movie filming, house prices have skyrocketed, and there is an ever-developing sense of what it means to be Kirkwoodian. 

We want to take an active role in the betterment of our community - realizing that "community" means different things to different people. We all have our individual personal histories, our affinity groups, our feeling of belonging or not. And the complex intangible stuff sometimes meets the fairly simple tangible realities - we pass each other on the street, our kids play with each other on the playground, we're around enough that we notice when the other has a visible need.

As a family-owned business, there are small ways we can leverage our resources so that we're more than just a physical presence and really live out being true neighbors in our neighborhood. There's a great story of a pretty wise man who told a parable and asked a guy "Which of these three, do you think, really proved to be a neighbor?" I want to be like the third guy, in my personal life and with my business.

All that may be a little hokey for an explanation of participating in a fundraiser, but I try to live life on purpose, and to even have Taproom function like that in all areas. So, yes, we're doing a little fundraising project for our neighborhood. 

Kirkwood Cares was launched this past year, and in just a few months they've helped out some of our neighbors with critical repairs to their homes: They've provided funds and labor to replace water heaters, repair a sewer pipe, replace a roof, repair soffits, build a new deck, paint, make electrical repairs, and more. The donations and volunteer labor coming from individuals and businesses have been incredibly inspiring! 

For our fundraiser, we're keeping it simple: Fund one neighborhood project through Kirkwood Cares. We want to fully pay for replacing rotten floors for Miss Deborah over on Warren St. NE. To do that, we're doing what we do best... selling coffee.