Did you know that making a difference in your community can be as simple as visiting your local coffeehouse? This cannot be said of most leisure activities, but at Silk City Coffee, this is their mission.

For nearly a decade, Silk City Coffee at 763 Main St., in Manchester, has made it their mission to do much more than sell coffee, but to also give back to Manchester and the greater Connecticut community by cultivating a platform where needs can be met. For Silk City, their business slogan says it all: “Love Coffee Love People.”

Tammy Gerhard, one of four owners of coffeehouse, has been the orchestrator of its charitable giving and community engagement programs since the shop opened. Giving back to the community has never been optional for their business, Gerhard said.

“It’s the heartbeat of the shop,” Gerhard said. “It is the motto and filter we do all things through, and it operates as a Community Needs Board where anyone can share prayer or practical needs with everyone in the community.”

The concept of “Love Coffee Love People” was inspired by The Well Coffeehouse and Roasters in Nashville, Tennessee, which acts as both a business and non-profit that provides clean water to communities around the globe, according to its website. As Gerhard and her co-owners planned to open a shop in Manchester, they wanted to have a similar local mission.

“We made a commitment right there,” Gerhard said. “That we would literally give back our first fruits instead of waiting until we were profitable enough.”

From day one, this mission has been accomplished prominently through their Community Needs Board. The board exists to “… bring the community together for the cause of love,” Gerhard said.

It is structured in an open format where customers are invited to write a need and contact information on a card and pin it to the board. The request stays up for up to a month, encouraging others in the community to step in and meet those needs.

“We’ve seen all sorts of things happen through that board,” Gerhard said. “… connections with people, rooms being rented, groceries being purchased, tutoring happening, cars being fixed, housing being given, and even tuitions being paid.”

Of the needs that have been met through this process, one was recently covered in a news story by Fox61 regarding a local man, Josh Magoulas, who was paralyzed in an automotive accident last year. Josh Magoulas’ wife, Jacqueline Magoulas, wrote a request for her husband on the Community Needs Board, which expressed his need for an electric wheelchair. Since then, the community at Silk City Coffee has helped them raise money toward this goal.

“Having the hope and faith to push forward and be surrounded by positivity really makes a world of difference,” said Jacqueline Magoulas, according to Fox61.

In addition to the Community Needs Board, Silk City Coffee is making a difference through their Give-Back Partnerships. At one point, this was done through weekly Give-Back Nights, where the shop would donate 10 percent of its profits made one night each week to an organization.

However, things shifted during the pandemic.

“Coming out of COVID, we began to think of an alternate way to do give backs,” Gerhard said.

This led to the creation of the Give-Back Cookie, which allows Silk City Coffee to fundraise a dollar for each cookie sold to a new Connecticut non-profit each month. The cookie is entirely gluten-free and vegan to offer an opportunity for as many people as possible to participate and enjoy.

“Now we have a cookie that we sell every day, all month attached to one of the non-profits in the community making a difference,” Gerhard said. “Making a difference in our community can be as easy as buying a cookie.”

Other than the Give-Back Cookie, Silk City donates a dollar to its non-profits for every bag of coffee sold and devotes all the money from sales they make on “Love Coffee Love People” merchandise. Such an opportunity leaves an impact on both customers and employees.

“I love coffee,” said Peter Neagle, head of coffee at Silk City. “But without the personal connection it doesn’t matter.”

To support or get involved with Silk City Coffee and their monthly partners, visit one of their two locations – 763 Main St. Manchester, or 869 Main St., Willimantic – or visit https://silkcitycoffee.com.