Recently, a café in Shanghai asked retired elderly people to become clerks on the Internet. On May 5, a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily called this café, and the staff introduced that 16% of the store are retired elderly people, and volunteer work is carried out for free in the store.

Some volunteers said that when the café is not busy, she will come over one day a week, and when there are activities, she will come five or six days a week, and volunteering here makes her feel very fulfilled and accomplished.

Retired elderly people working as shop assistants are unpaid but have a volunteer allowance

Located on the south side of Shanghai New Hongqiao Center Garden, the "Yi Coffee" Public Welfare Museum is open daily from 10 am to 17 pm. Ms. Chen, a staff member and volunteer of the café, is the deputy director of the Shanghai Information Service Center for the Elderly. She told the Beiqing News reporter that in 2015, they were still an institution to help the elderly, and there were many elderly people who came to consult and chat. In the process of talking, some elderly people will ask "is there tea, is there coffee", such inquiries also inspired the staff, that is, to operate a coffee shop, with coffee to help the elderly, relying on their own "blood" survival is a good direction.

Ms. Chen mentioned that with the help of all sectors of society, "Yi Coffee" was born in 2017. "Yi Coffee" is a public welfare café affiliated to the Shanghai Happy Event Information Service Center (4A-level social organization), which provides services for the elderly volunteers who come to this activity, and most of the proceeds are also invested in the public welfare of helping the elderly. "'Yi', as the name suggests, is synonymous with diffuse and value, and at the same time it is the same as public 'benefit', the original intention is to help the elderly, a coffee is a charity."

Compared with ordinary cafes, this café is special in that the staff are basically "silver-haired volunteers". Ms. Chen said, "Eighty or ninety percent of the clerks are retirees, and there is no salary for coming here, they are all unpaid, that is, they give love, and there will be a volunteer allowance of 50 yuan for the first day of work, but almost everyone will donate the allowance they receive." ”

The profit is mainly used to help the elderly Seniors over 65 years old can enjoy half price

Ms. Chen told the Beiqing News reporter that the income from the café will be donated to the nursing home to buy fruits and buy necessities for the elderly. At "Yi Coffee", the price of an American cup in the store is 18 yuan, and people over 65 years old can enjoy half price discount by showing their ID card.

In the actual operation of the café, all walks of life have given a lot of care. At the beginning of its establishment, some coffee shops learned about the situation of "Yi Coffee" and provided free training services for volunteer store staff, "We trained for four or five days a day, and after the assessment, we will issue barista certificates to volunteers." ”

Mr. Chen, a staff member and volunteer of "Yi Coffee" and the head of the volunteer party member studio and chairman of the supervisory board of Shanghai Xi Shi Helping the Elderly Information Service Center, told the Beiqing News reporter: "'Yi Coffee' is the first public welfare café in Shanghai, and the profits generated by the operation of the store are used to help the elderly. In order to help the elderly solve problems in real life, in the past seven years, 'Yi Coffee' has carried out lectures such as smart phone training, pension consultation, scientific health preservation, piano vocal training, financial management, and anti-telecommunications fraud. The café has also carried out activities such as condolences to martyrs, exhibition and sales of agricultural and sideline products in poverty alleviation areas, parent-child activities for Chinese and foreign residents, friendship between old and young people, concerts in the square, etc. ”

According to Mr. Chen, the work of volunteer shop assistants is based on a shift system, and each person generally needs one or two shifts a week. Recently, the Information Service Center for the Elderly is also concerned about Alzheimer's disease. The service content of "Yi Coffee" will be adjusted to meet the needs of the elderly in the future. "In general, the customers of the café are very positive about the service in the store, and they also have some special feelings for 'Yi Coffee', and they come to drink coffee every week."

Volunteering: Volunteering makes me feel very fulfilling

Chen Ru (not her real name), a 53-year-old volunteer at the café, retired in 2020. She told the Beiqing News reporter that she used to pass by "Yi Coffee" on her commute, and often came over to drink coffee, "I originally wanted to do public welfare, but then I learned that the café recruited volunteers, and I happened to retire, so I came to try it." ”

After training in a coffee shop, Chen Ru got her barista certificate and became a barista in the store, and she has been working at "Yi Coffee" for 3 years. "Usually when the café is not busy, I come one day a week, and if there is an event, I come five or six days a week." Chen Ru said that volunteering here has made her feel very fulfilled and accomplished.

Volunteer Ms. Deng, 37 years old this year, told the Beiqing News reporter that she and her friends accidentally chatted about "Yi Coffee", thought this café was very interesting, joined the big family, and currently also work in the café for 3 years. "I'm a housewife, my kids are still in school, and I come over one day a week, which is very fulfilling and fun. Most of the customers I contact in the store are elderly, and when I work in the store, some customers greet me as 'little girl'. Such a greeting made Ms. Deng feel very warm.

Ms. Deng said she enjoys this day of the week and shares things about the store with her lover, which he also finds interesting. "I was usually in the store every Tuesday, and suddenly one day when I didn't come over, my husband would ask questions, and sometimes he would come to the store for a cup of coffee. The children are also very supportive of me coming to the café and will proudly say to my classmates, 'My mom is here to volunteer, help some old people, it's fun, my mom is great'. ”

Text/Reporter Dai Youqing Intern Zhu Li (Source: Beijing Youth Daily)