Cafecito on Wheels!

Funded Sep 20, 2024

Since we received our materials, my students and I have been able to open a coffee cart. The cart is open once a week, and we've been able to make use of all of our project materials on a regular basis. Being donated everything we needed allowed us to start this project, which has had a great positive impact on my students. They are very proud of what they do, and every week when it's time to sell coffee, they look forward to it. They enjoy sharing what we do in our classroom and encourage others to buy coffee.

This project has allowed them to work on many different skills, such as making coffee, following a recipe, cleaning up, staying organized, and managing money. It has helped them develop their daily living skills. Taking and delivering orders has also improved their social and communication skills. Overall, this project has brought many benefits to our whole class. We work as a team, and everyone understands how important their role is for us to be successful.

When we first received our box, the students were very eager to open it. At that point, they didn't quite understand what the purpose of the items was. Sometimes they learn and understand better by seeing and interacting with things. As we opened the boxes, some of the students recognized items like the coffee cups, sugar, and coffee. Other students had questions about what we were going to do with everything. They all helped open the boxes, and then we had to figure out where to store the items. They were very excited to start our coffee cart right away.

This project has been way more successful than I expected. Everyone at the school—from the administration to the teachers, office staff, security, and cafeteria personnel—has been extremely supportive, which allowed us to put our donations to good use. In the future, I would love to expand our coffee cart and possibly turn it into a "coffee shop." I believe this will give students a more real-life experience and continue to help them improve their skills.

I am incredibly grateful for the support and the opportunity to help my students grow in such meaningful ways.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Candelario