Sponsored by Grace, a nonprofit that helps local the youth avoid trouble on the streets, is working on opening more coffee shops called Grounds of Grace throughout the greater Jacksonville area.
Founder Ron Armstrong and his wife Caitlin launched the organization after sponsoring several children through an international nonprofit. Once the couple launched Sponsored by Grace, they began thinking of ways to enrich Jacksonville communities while supporting the nonprofit. As a result, the couple transformed an old school bus into Grounds of Grace, a mobile coffee shop that provides work for young adults rather than letting them fall into the wrong crowd.
The idea couldn’t have come to life without the help of Pura Bean Coffee Co., which offered to donate its product to Grounds of Grace. Following the school bus’s success, the Armstrongs opened another storefront at 1601 University Blvd North in Jacksonville. The two coffee shops have accumulated $12,000 in the last seven months alone. Between the two sites, he employs five youths and five adults.
The organization is now ready to expand again, this time renovating a shipping container into a coffee shop, according to The Florida Times-Union. When owners secure locations, Grounds of Grace will hire additional staff following renovations. This is just the beginning for the community-focused concept, as Armstrong hopes to open at least ten sites in the Jacksonville area. There is no timeline or exact location for these new sites, but when they open, they will be focused on helping the community employ young adults while also serving the community delicious food and drinks.
“Grounds of GRACE was launched in the middle of the 2020 pandemic with the vision of being a launching pad for young men and women to take their first steps of employment through the coffee industry,” according to the company’s website. “Grounds of GRACE is a ministry that supports the nonprofit Sponsored by GRACE, which helps release children from poverty by meeting their physical needs, sharing the gospel, and connecting them with a local faith family.”
