Chicago Youth Nonprofit to Open Innovative Coffee Shop with Focus on Mental Health

CHICAGO, Oct. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Proactive suicide prevention nonprofit Hope for the Day (HFTD) is partnering with Dark Matter Coffee to open a new social enterprise coffee shop called Sip of Hope. The coffee shop will open this Spring in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood.

Sip of Hope will be the first coffee shop in the world where 100% of net proceeds will be used exclusively for proactive suicide prevention. Additionally, all staff and volunteers will be certified in Mental Health First Aid and will help connect community members with local mental health resources.

In order to build momentum for Sip of Hope's opening, Hope for the Day will be hosting its 2017 signature fundraiser on December 2 at WeWork Chicago (20 W. Kinzie, 17th Floor, Chicago, IL 60654). The event is part of a capital campaign to raise $250,000 for Sip of Hope's March 1, 2018, opening and will feature food, drinks, entertainment, and the presentation of HFTD's first Partner in Prevention award to Dark Matter Coffee founder Jesse Diaz.

Visit sipofhope.org for event registration information.

The idea for a coffee shop that supports mental health came about as a natural extension of Hope for the Day's partnership with Dark Matter Coffee and its mission to 'start the conversation' around suicide prevention.

"We get it! Life is hard and some days we need more than a cup of coffee to get us through the day," founder Jonny Boucher said. "We need to remind ourselves that despite the things we've been through, it's OK to feel pain; it's OK not to be OK. And it's OK to talk about it."

HFTD Executive Director Dave Kunicki sees Sip of Hope as an important community space to combat the stigma associated with suicide: "If our preventative efforts in Chicago, nationally, and across the globe are to be successful, we need to initiate these conversations in as many public spaces as possible," Kunicki said. "And what better way to talk to our community about these critical issues than over a cup of coffee?"

To learn more about HFTD including how to support their efforts, visit hftd.org or write Dave Kunicki at [email protected]. To learn more about Dark Matter Coffee, visit darkmattercoffee.com.

Dave Kunicki
[email protected]
(312)286-3387

SOURCE Hope for the Day