This is a few months old but I should post it on here. Also we filed our Articles, just waiting to hear back from the state.
http://www.thefeast.com/losangeles/restaurants/Coffee-Fuels-Community-in-East-Hollywood-104291618.htmlCoffee Fuels Community in East Hollywood
Amber Johnson has been at the forefront of the L.A. coffee movement, managing LAMILL and pulling shots at Fix in Echo Park. Her next move is to combine coffee with conscience. She and friend Greg Larson are working to find an east Hollywood location for Fuel Community Café, a non-profit community center supported by a high-grade coffeehouse. According to Johnson, “There are four main functions that Fuel will have: job skills training for at risk high school students; free gallery and performance space for young artists in the community; a meeting and fundraising space for other nonprofits in the area; and lastly we plan to serve some high quality coffee and snacks in an area of the city that is severely lacking good coffee and hang out spaces for people!”
Johnson says she’s been “inspired by different cafes around the country using their income for a greater good of some kind.” She pointed to Q Café in Seattle, which runs a homeless counseling center; Same Café in Denver, which is “feeding seasonal healthy food to people for whatever they can afford to pay,” plus Homegirl Café, which offers an alternative to gang violence here in Los Angeles. “I love coffee,” says Johnson, “but I love working for social justice even more and it was getting to a point where I was going to have to choose. So, clearly, Fuel was a perfect fit for me.”
Fuel’s board is in the process of filing their Articles of Incorporation this month, which will allow Johnson and her team to secure 501c3 status. Shortly thereafter, they’ll lock down a location on East Hollywood’s south side. [The Feast]
