I know what you are thinking: “How in the world is not drinking coffee going to benefit a child?” Well, USA Today discovered Americans consume over 587 million cups of coffee a day, roughly 3 cups of coffee per person per day. Imagine what we could do if our focus and our finances were shifted to something like education!

Many people consume coffee as part of their “morning ritual” but if you are like me, you have that one favorite specialty coffee you indulge in more often than you think. An average customer, grabbing a specialty coffee at their favorite coffeehouse will spend close to $4.00. So if you think about it, we are spending nearly $210 on coffee every year, assuming we only limit ourselves to purchasing one cup a week!

Michelle Tepper, a parent at St. Barnabas Episcopal School, told me just how blessed she feels each day her daughter steps foot on our campus. “St. Barnabas has provided scholarships to many families, like ours, opening the door to a stellar education and wonderful possibilities” Michelle says. The Tepper’s aren’t the only family who has expressed how blessed they feel each year knowing they can afford a strong education centered on God’s love. St. Barnabas has consistently offered over $100,000 in financial aid to families year after year, and it is largely funded by the generosity of our community. Simply amazing!

Saving the money we spend on coffee just 2-3 times a month would result in our ability to give around $10 a month to support the SBES Annual Fund. If every family at St. Barnabas were to do this, we would pledge over $30,000 a year to support families. This year’s campaign has been focused on finding our passion behind giving to the annual fund. For Michelle, it has been “personally experiencing the generous overflow of God’s love and grace through the annual fund. It is why we continue to give back every year.”

To learn more about how you can give to the annual fund on a monthly basis, contact Kyle Hays at khays@sbesyes.org or 386-734-3005. Sacrificing those 2-3 cups of coffee a month could be just what a family needs this year.

What is your passion?