The Brief
- A new St. Petersburg café on Central Avenue is operating on a pay-what-you-can model.
- Beloved Community Café will host recovery sessions in the evenings and serve as a worship space on Sundays.
- The concept aims to foster connection, with volunteers available to sit and share coffee with visitors sitting alone.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A new café on Central Avenue is opening its doors with a mission to serve the local community regardless of a customer’s ability to pay.
St. Petersburg café launch
What we know:
Beloved Community Café is launching a pay-what-you-can model during weekdays, aiming to provide accessible food while creating an inclusive environment. The concept was spearheaded by Jennifer Daysa, the pastor of Good Samaritan Church and co-manager of the café.
After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the church to sell its former location, Daysa envisioned the café as a way to adapt and serve the neighborhood.
“I know how this sounds, but I literally went to bed one night and I had a dream about doing this,” she said. “I brought it to a retreat that we were having as a congregation and we talked about it. We researched for about six months, and then we voted as a congregation that this is really what we wanted to do.”
Weekly schedule and partners
The backstory:…