It’s coffee with a cause.
Mental Health Association Oklahoma opened CoffeeFirst on Tuesday, a work program for adults who have experienced mental illness, homelessness, addiction or incarceration. Clara Correa oversees the program and said the goal is teaching them the barista and soft skills that can help them land steady jobs.
"We do think that employment is a therapeutic component of the recovery process, and that’s why this is such an important part of providing a way for people to help themselves," Correa said.
The program is roughly a year long.
"Right now, we have two employees at a time. They each go through six months of training. And then whenever they graduate, they actually practice leadership skills by training the next two baristas," Correa said.
Maria is one of CoffeeFirst's first two baristas. She asked to be identified only by her first name because of her past justice system involvement. Maria hopes Coffee First prepares her to open her own food business one day.
"I did go to Tulsa Tech for culinary arts, and I’ve won a couple of awards — state competitions and third in nationals — but I’ve never had any kind of coffee training. So, this is exciting for me," Maria said.
Starting out, Coffee First is supported by a $50,000 Bank of America Neighborhood Champions grant — Tulsa's first — and a $20,000 grant from Starbucks Foundation.
Correa said the goal is for CoffeeFirst to become self-sustaining and expand.
CoffeeFirst brews locally roasted Topeca coffee, and the cart is open Monday through Friday in the Legacy Plaza Conference Center lobby, 5330 E 31st St.
