Bean Ability Café on Burmont Road in Drexel Hill gives people with disabilities an opportunity to try out new skills, writes Eve Anderson for CBS 3 Philadelphia.
The café opened in late January through a partnership with Emmaus Home, a nonprofit that provides housing and faith-based support for adults with physical and intellectual disabilities.
Karen Petrucci, 62, loves volunteering at Bean Ability, from welcoming customers to prepping the cream cheese to handing off a bagel.
“I get to work with customers, and I love them all,” she said.
Petrucci, who lives with an intellectual disability, said the work gives her a purpose.
“Number one, [it] gets me out of the house. Plus, I like my job,” Petrucci said. “Not going [anywhere] made me lonely, but now I get up and I come here.”
Emmaus Home was founded 11 years ago by Anne Leopold, who has a son with autism and epilepsy. The coffee shop was a dream of hers, a dream she was recently able to put into action.
Customers feel the love as soon as they walk in.
“Their mission is close to my heart,” said customer Cheryl Timony.
Find out more about Bean Ability and how you can help with its mission at CBS News Philadelphia.
