Your Feel-Good Coffee Story of the Day

Why wait in line for coffee?

Photo Credit: Poldavo (Alex) /Foter

I used to work at a homeless shelter -- two of them, in fact, one for homeless vets and one for any homeless adult -- so I can tell you from experience that the coffee pot gets constant use. I can also tell you from experience that if a homeless guy asks you for a buck for a cup of coffee, there's a darn good chance that he's actually going to spend it on a cup of coffee. So when the story about the homeless guy in Calgary starting his own coffee delivery service hit my Inbox this morning, it warmed me up even more than the macchiatto I was sipping. Check out the radio interview with the guy at the link above. It's a real feel good story on a cold January morning.

Tim Barber, the guy in the story, was walking by a coffee shop one cold morning a few weeks ago and wondered if people would pay to avoid standing in line for coffee. He thought maybe they might -- and was willing to take a chance on it. He had a bunch of flyers printed up offering to pick up coffee and deliver it anywhere in the core Calgary downtown area for $2, as long as the order is $10 or under, then he and a friend started handing out flyers around the area. Another friend even came up with a slogan for his business -- which he calls Timmy's Only even though he'll pick up at any shop that does to-go coffee: "Enjoy the warmth without the wait."

Turns out he was right -- there are lots of people who are happy to pony up a $2 delivery charge to avoid leaving the office to stand in line at the coffee shop. So many, in fact, that he's now sleeping in his own apartment instead of the homeless shelter. And, he told the radio station -- where they called and ordered a coffee delivery to get him by for an interview -- "Putting $400 into this business is a whole lot better than going out and using crack."

If you do check out the story at the link, be sure to take the time to read the comments from readers. They're almost as heartwarming as the story itself.