Meet The Baristas Serving Up Hope House Cafe’s New Espresso Drinks

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

Hope House Cafe customers now have a wider range of drinks to choose from, thanks to the recent addition of an espresso machine and two baristas. Along with a comfy new corner of the cafe, Hope House added Saturday morning hours, which began on July 27.

The espresso drink options (with two shots of espresso and a variety of syrup options to choose from) are lattes (hot or cold), mochas (hot or cold), breves, and americanos.

While the two baristas, Cassidy Walraven and Rachel Crow, are warm, smiling faces welcoming customers into the cafe, they also represent hope to women who are just beginning their journeys at the Hope House because of how far they’ve come.

For those who are not familiar with the Hope House, it is the women’s branch of A Hand Up Ministry, helping women overcome addiction and prepare for a new life. When residents first come to the Hope House, they work in the cafe for about three months. After that, they transition to jobs out in the community. Walraven and Crow, however, are the first to be hired back to work at Hope House.

Crow said she enjoyed her first three months working in the cafe so much that she cried on her last day before transitioning to another job. “I was honored beyond belief when they asked me if I’d be interested in coming back. I cried then too. I love Miss Pam; I love all of the girls.”

Pam Spurgin, fondly known as Miss Pam, is the cafe’s manager who retired from the Dade County School cafeterias. She first brought her gifts of hospitality and cooking to the Hope House by teaching the women how to cook meals once a week. Then, when the previous manager stepped down, Spurgin stepped into the job.

According to Crow, Walraven, and Spurgin, beginning at the Hope House is not just a walk in the park. With so many women living and working together who are coming out of unstable lifestyles, emotions are high, and the women must learn a new way to live and work.

Crow (who will graduate from the program in February 2025) said, “It’s challenging working with so many different personalities. We were all coming out of drug addiction, and we all were hyper-emotional. We’d cry or get mad at the drop of a hat or want to argue.”

Spurgin added, “Working here gives them a chance to get their self-esteem back and clear their head a little bit before they go out into a job and meet all kinds of people. I tell them, ‘This is just a sandwich. It’s not heart surgery. We can fix a sandwich.’ We always handle conflict so that no spite or animosity lingers. After they’ve been here a week or two, they love each other because they can all relate to each other. Women who have just come in look at the ones who have been here seven or eight months thinking, ‘Will I ever make it to there?’ Rachel and Cassidy make it look so easy, and it gives the others hope.”

Walraven (who will graduate from the program in a month) added, “We all come in broken, and we have no hope. It’s a life and death situation.”

Before going through A Hand Up, Walraven thought her addiction to fentanyl would lead to her death. “I remember calling my mom from jail and telling her, ‘You cannot get me out of here. If you get me out of here, I’m gonna go back to fentanyl and it’s gonna end up killing me.’ I could not say no to it.”

Now, as front-end manager of the cafe and a barista, Walraven is a beacon of hope for the other women. “I get to encourage the girls that what God’s done for me He can do for them too. I was so close to death. The most important part of my job is that others know that my life now is because God brought me out of the grave.”

Crow was addicted to methamphetamines, but now, she is thankful to work both as a barista at the cafe and part time at Rising Fawn Gardens. She finds inspiration in seeing how far Walraven has come. “Cassidy is a rockstar. She’s what we all want to be like. I cannot imagine the person she was, the person she tells me stories about. It doesn’t fit with who she is now.”

Not being from Dade County, Crow was surprised to see Captain Joe Chambers (captain of the jail) come to the Hope House and encourage the women. She said many addicts are not used to positive interactions with law enforcement. “We learn really fast that everyone here is for us.”

Walraven, however, did grow up here and went to Dade County High School. Her story involves overcoming a lot of shame. Tearing up, she said, “The drugs made me feel like I was the worst person in the world and nobody would understand. I hated the person I’d become. I wouldn’t go around my family because I didn’t want them to see who I was. I just stayed high, doing anything I could to not live with the person I’d become. The last time I was in the newspaper was 11 months ago when I got arrested. Because of God and this place, it’s hard for me to believe that I was that person.”

Now, Walraven sees old classmates and teachers at the cafe or around town and has learned that they are excited to witness her changed life. “I felt like I let down my teachers, but when I’ve seen them here or at the store, I apologize for letting them down, but they encourage me and tell me that everybody goes through stuff. People who I haven’t seen since I was in addiction come in here all the time and tell me, ‘It’s so good to see you doing good.’ It fills my heart to know that the community doesn’t hate me. They want to see me succeed as much as I want to succeed, and that makes a world of difference.”

Spurgin added, “One of the main reasons we’re succeeding is the people in Dade County who are pouring into this as much as the founders and the people who work here. They give, they come in, ladies come pray over these girls, and just the other day, a church group sent them bags with goodies.”

Before coming to the Hope House, Walraven didn’t know how to overcome addiction and shame by herself. She said, “Through Celebrate Recovery and all the tools that they’ve given me here at the Hope House, I’ve been able to accept all the things I’ve done for what they are and learn that I can move past those things and be a different person than I was.”

Employment is a key part of A Hand Up, ensuring graduates reenter society with a way to provide for themselves and a role to play. For now, Crow and Walraven are happy to continue working at the cafe, but they’re also thankful for the experience to add to their resumes.

Crow said, “I don’t really have a visual goal for the future. I’m just thankful for this opportunity. I pray every day that wherever God wants me, He’ll open those doors.”

Because Walraven was so young when she was introduced to drugs (entering the Hope House at 24 years old), she hadn’t had much prior work experience, but now, she’s learned how to run the cash register, check stock and order new supplies, and greet customers with a smile. She said, “I’m learning to be content where I’m at. I’m thankful that I can add front-end manager and barista to my resume.”

As she leads the women through their daily work, Spurgin emphasizes the importance of being a great employee, explaining, “We teach them not just to go to work, but to be a good worker. You can’t live in this world without money, and if you’ve spent your life begging, borrowing, stealing, or getting a government check, that’s not how society is set up.”

The women at the Hope House also practice being served and serving others. Once a month, they prepare the meal for Celebrate Recovery. The house’s neighbors (the Morelands) sometimes host the women for meals, and likewise, the women cook for the Morelands. Spurgin said, “They learn to give back and to be a blessing to somebody else. It just makes you feel good to do something for somebody, and they’re learning that.”

Hope House Cafe’s Saturday hours are 7 a.m. to noon, featuring coffee, espresso drinks, and the breakfast menu. Stop by sometime to say hello to Crow and Walraven.