You'll Seashore Signs of Good Coffee
by Ramona DiFrancesco
You may have heard that there’s a new vendor in Grossman Commons. But did you know that you can get fresh local coffee and baked goods outside the Grossman Commons Building too? In Maureen M. Wilkens, the Seashore Café acts as a worksite for the students in Project Forward.
Project Forward is a vocational program for students with intellectual learning disabilities. Through the Seashore Café, they get real-world customer service experience. Diana Rowe, the manager who has worked at the café for 12 years, says that many of these students go on to successfully get jobs after graduation as well.
“It’s really rewarding to see them out in the community working, so that’s what we mainly are, is a worksite for Project Forward.” Rowe says of the Café.
“This program has been here at 4C’s for more than 30 years, as part of the college, being run in various forms. Now we’ve got a different track for students where they can get the financial aid and stuff, and it makes a big difference.”
Rowe says that students work the morning shifts through the Project Forward internship then staff members cover afternoon shifts.
The Café gets their coffee from Cape Cod Coffee in Mashpee, where they roast the beans themselves in their facility. Rowe adds that the students involved the internship get to take a field trip to Cape Cod Coffee once a year to see how the business is run.
At the beginning of the year, the snacks and baked goods come from BJ’s. But once the culinary classes get going, those students will provide the Café’s bakery food. Their snack section includes things like Cheez-its and cereal bars, and fresh baked goods including bagels and muffins. They carry hot chocolate, coffee and tea, as well as iced coffee and tea, juice, bottled water, assorted fruit, cookies, and popcorn bags.
The Café now carries nitro cold brew and cold brewed flavored iced coffees, including pumpkin spice. And if you’re looking for dairy or dairy substitutes, they have whole milk, 1% milk, half & half creamer, Coffee Mate creamer, and almond milk for those with a preference for non-dairy milk.
Rowe says the Café is especially convenient for students who have classes in M. M. Wilkens on a day when it’s raining, so they don’t have to walk through the rain to Grossman if they want something to eat or drink.
You can also purchase a Project Forward t-shirt there, where proceeds will go to the program. Rowe also says that any overhead the Café makes is donated to the program’s scholarship fund.
The Café is now open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and can be found right outside the tutoring center in M. M. Wilkens Hall. You can not only get something to snack on, but you can also meet a friendly face from Project Forward or the Café staff.
Diana Rowe helps a patron at the cash register
Photo taken by Ramona DiFrancesco
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