Coffee shop in Peabody helps people with disabilities build confidence

PEABODY - A one-of-a-kind coffee shop in Peabody, Massachusetts helps people with disabilities find a place to thrive.

Training people with disabilities

Breaking Grounds is a cafe in the center of town on Main Street where many of its employees have disabilities. The workers go through a training program where they learn everything about serving coffee and the many other drinks on the menu.

"At first, you think you are really excited and everything but you're not sure how everything's going to go," said manager Vicki Burge. "The way the interns really take in the information, the way they love this place, everything has been great, it's been awesome."

Now Breaking Grounds is a business supported by Northeast Arc , a Danvers-based organization that supports the full inclusion of people with disabilities.

"The city of Peabody called us, looking for a downtown coffee shop, to help change the whole environment in the downtown area," said Tim Brown, Northeast Arc's director of innovation and strategy. "So they reached out and asked us if we were interested, six years later, here we are."

"Very meaningful"

Chase Hunter was an intern at Breaking Grounds and his dad Chris said he's loved seeing him employed.

"Very meaningful. If you look at children with disabilities and young adults with disabilities, about 80% of them have no employment. One of the things that we find out about our son and many young adults like this is they want meaning in life, they want value in life and they want structure in life," said Chris Hunter.

"It was interesting, I never knew how to make espresso until I had this job and I never knew you could combine teas as well," said Chase Hunter.

Building confidence

Wendy Latoff owns the shop next door and helped make the signage on the cafe's tables.

"I love seeing how they work with the interns here. It's fantastic and it's great seeing them, like, graduate and seeing them somewhere else and just building their confidence," said Latoff. "The staff is so patient and kind and it's just amazing."

The cafe temporarily closed last year after a fire broke out two floors above the business. It has since reopened.