For nearly three decades, a coffee cart has been quietly working its way through the halls of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, offering something far simpler than medicine and, in many moments, just as needed. 

The Wawa Coffee & Care Cart has spent about 30 years serving up smiles at CHOP at its Philadelphia Campus and, more recently, at its King of Prussia campus, reports Todd Haas for 6abc.  

Each day it makes its rounds, bringing free hot and cold beverages to patients, families, and staff who are often facing some of the hardest moments of their lives. 

For many parents, leaving a child’s bedside is not always possible.  

That is what turns the simple arrival of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or juice into something far greater than a small convenience.  

Run largely by volunteers, the cart has become a familiar and comforting presence inside the hospital, a steady arrival in days defined by uncertainty. 

For the volunteers who push it, the work has become its own reward. 

“Volunteering here has been probably one of the best choices I made,” said volunteer Will Fitzgerald. “It’s been really meaningful, something I’ve really enjoyed, and, you know, I’d love to keep doing it for as long as I can.” 

Chris, a parent whose daughter is currently being treated at the hospital, said the cart always seems to arrive at the perfect time for his wife when he cannot be there himself. 

That timing is no accident. The team behind the cart sees each cup as a small way to soften an overwhelming experience. 

“There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty when you come in the hospital, and it feels like there’s a lot of unknowns and strangers, and so what we really try to do is to take that time to make the hospital feel a little more familiar,” said Lauren Montgomery, the Volunteer Services supervisor at CHOP. 

Head to 6abc to watch the cart roll through CHOP’s halls in Philly and witness the small gestures bringing comfort to families during their hardest days. 

_______