Syracuse is home to a growing population of refugees, and a local business is supporting the region’s new residents one family at a time.
At Salt City Coffee, customers are invited to round up the price of their order to donate spare change for local refugees. Co-owner Maria Metthe said she uses those dollars to buy beds, cribs and other items for families resettled by Interfaith works, a nonprofit that supports new arrivals to the region.
"They often have needs that can't get met and because funding is so low, they don't have a way to provide for stuff," Metthe said.
Metthe has supported Interfaith on her own for the last 10 years, but she recently extended that opportunity to her patrons to help with the bigger purchases refugee families may have, especially after government support runs out. For example, if family's refrigerator breaks, they're on the hook to replace it.
”It’s a big need, nobody can cover it, how can we help fundraise and meet that need?" Metthe said.
She takes extra steps to ensure the families are actually receiving what they need from customers' donations. Metthe said she and her husband have delivered the purchased items to refugee families. One at least one occasion, Metthe's husband personally set up a crib in a home.
"We know when our customers are giving money and fundraising, it's actually going to the family," Metthe said.
Salt City Coffee recently opened up another location in Fayetteville, creating more opportunities for customers to contribute.