Cactus Coffee perks up Dell Children’s

The pandemic has hit the restaurant businesses hard. So hard that the Texas Restaurant Association decided to help out small local businesses by providing a grant to help keep restaurants alive, a relief fund if you will.

According to their website, the “mission of the Texas restaurant relief fund is: To provide immediate financial relief to Texas’ independent restaurateurs with funds designed to save employee jobs.” Paying bills was a huge worry for all restaurants.

Brooke Burnett of Cactus Coffee had an idea. Why not find a hospital and supply the staff and workers with food and coffee (chai too). She had done that at some area facilities, so she knew the need. A hot cup of Joe to refresh the workers would be heaven sent.

“When the pandemic hit I offered sponsored meals to feed front-line personnel. The ‘Buy a Box, Get a Mask’ program provided over 202 meals, and made 75 cloth masks for the community,” Brooke said. “And during April and May the 202 sponsored meals went to many local essential workplaces,” These included: Ace Hardware, Wimberley Life Care, three local hospitals, Precinct 3 staff, Alexis Pointe, Live Oak Health Partners, Wimberley Fire Department, IBC Bank and Sage Capital Bank.

Cactus Coffee Shop and Brooke has been a fixture in Wimberley since March 2016. Featured around town, the food trailer is currently parked next to Shop the Tree House on Ranch Road 12, serving coffee, smoothies, Lotus infused energy drinks, and other treats.

“In May, the Texas Restaurant Association awarded me a grant from their Texas Restaurant Relief Fund, titled “Feed the First Responders,” funded by BlueCross/BlueShield of Texas.”

It was hard to find a hospital that would accept food and beverages.

“It took a few months. Instead of meals, I thought ‘How about coffee provided to staff and workers?’ At Dell, a gallon of coffee was given to each department. So I was able to provide 40 “Caffeine Kits” of cold brew, hot coffee and chai latte, serving 600 cups of coffee to the staff of Dell Children’s Hospital,” she said. •15 pounds of coffee beans •14 hours of prep work •20 gallons of cold brew •10 gallons of chai •10 gallons of hot coffee with all the fixings to create 40 Caffeine kits.

Brooke got in contact with local businessman Darrell Vasquez of D’s Roastery and the plan was put into action. “They were so grateful… with the pandemic wearing on, people became more brusque with them and they said it was great to be appreciated again.”

If you would like to sponsor a Caffeine Kit for an essential facility, follow the link in the website at cactuscoffeeshop.com.