The cafe is a comfy place to hang out (yes, there’s WiFi) with an array of lattes, cappuccino, iced coffees, scrumptious smoothies and loose-leaf teas.

Profit Perk: Coffee and delicious fare help local charities at this cafe
Perk Place Cafe owners Natalie and Jeff Meyer, look over charity donations, Make in Oklahma connections, and biz card bulletin board. mh

Free coffee sounds too good to be true. Blink your bleary eyes and smile because from 7 to 8 a.m. each day, Perk Place Café in Edmond gives it away.

Widen that grin.

“We have a generosity jar where people can contribute as much or as little as they like to local charities,” said Perk Place Café co-owner Natalie Meyer.

She and husband Jeff believe “generosity changes lives.”

Compassion is the driving force behind the cozy cafe at 1649 W. 33rd St. in Edmond.

Once there, try the Grounds 4 Compassion roast made with premium, ethically grown beans from the nonprofit of the same name. Sold both by the cup and by the bag, the coffee is roasted and processed locally in Bethany.

“Grounds 4 Compassion works directly with coffee farmers in countries worldwide ... promoting self-sufficiency,” Jeff said.

Much of the money G4C earns goes back into communities.

“We get coffee from many different regions around the world, with a strong focus on Haiti,” added Grounds 4 Compassion (G4C) founder and owner Bradley Carter.

Perk Place Café’s mission doesn’t stop with charities; it’s also strongly hyper-local. The couple supports Made in Oklahoma Coalition, which promotes locally made and produced foods and other dining-related products.

Profit Perk: Coffee and delicious fare help local charities at this cafe
Perk Place Cafe during one of their recent free coffee mornings, 7 to 8 a.m. mh

The cafe is a comfy place to hang out (yes, there’s WiFi) with an array of lattes, cappuccino, iced coffees, scrumptious smoothies and loose-leaf teas.

Dining options include local foods and daily specials, panini and wrap sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, a BLT salad, daily soups, chili and a parfait bar.

The Meyers do more than slide a generosity jar onto the counter as part of their pay-it-forward philosophy. They also donate 25 cents from each coffee sale to Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s Food for Kids program and the locally based nonprofit Water4.

Jim Stewart, head of Water4 partner development, said he was impressed by the Meyers’ willingness to volunteer proceeds from the cafe’s busiest time of day to give away free coffee as a way to promote civic-mindedness.

“They are going to give out free coffee so less fortunate people can have clean drinking water,” Stewart said.

Water4 helps provide clean drinking water in Africa and around the world.

“We have young children, and the idea of not having clean water is heartbreaking to us,” Natalie said.

Similarly, Perk Place donations help the Regional Food Bank’s Food for Kids Backpack Program provide area children with backpacks filled with healthy, kid-friendly foods.

The Meyers happily look toward a future that will include new charities and a new catering business.

“It’s been a neat ride. It will be fun to see where it goes,” Jeff said.

Print headline: Profit Perk, Coffee and delicious light fare help local charities at this community-based cafe.

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