Coffee fans in Boulder have a new destination for their caffeine needs: the Boulder Jewish Community Center.“Café at the J” is a new coffee kiosk inside the Boulder JCC, at 6007 Oreg Ave. Open to the public, it serves drip coffee, espresso drinks, bagels, sandwiches and more grab-and-go options for breakfast and lunch.

The cafe is a partnership between the JCC and Boulder Bridge House, a nonprofit group that provides programs and services to people experiencing homelessness. Café at the J is staffed by a graduate of Bridge House’s Ready to Work program, which connects homeless individuals to job opportunities.“This is not just coffee,” said Jonathan Lev, executive director of the Boulder JCC. “You can go anywhere to get coffee. It’s an investment in community.” Lev said that the JCC has wanted an onsite cafe since its inception. Through a donor-based fundraising campaign, the JCC raised around $100,000 to build the coffee kiosk in what used to be a vending machine nook. After roughly six months of construction, Café at the J held a soft opening in May.“People feel like it’s always been here,” Lev said of the cafe. “It’s as if the space was made for it, which is what we were hoping for.” Fall is a busy time of year for the JCC. Lev said between 450 and 500 people visit the JCC every day for its Early Childhood Center, events and programs. What the cafe adds to all that foot traffic, Lev said, is “enhanced community connection.” “All of the people who are coming in for programs are so happy,” Lev said. “Parents, now, as they drop off their kids, will stop by and pick up a coffee.” Customers can take their drinks upstairs to read a book in the library, or sit by the fireplace with a latte in cooler weather. Lev said someone recently chose the JCC to host a meeting because of the onsite coffee.“You see people lingering more,” said Jill Lowitz, marketing and communications director for the JCC.

JCC handled the cafe’s capital investment, but still needed a partner to operate the food and drink side of the cafe. Bridge House, which also operates a cafe at Boulder Community Health, has been open to the idea of running a similar coffee spot at the JCC for years.“It’s been a long time coming,” said Scott Medina, director of community relations at Bridge House.

Café at the J is open from 7:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. It serves Dazbog Coffee, a Denver-based brand, making Café at the J the only Dazbog location in Boulder.

The cafe’s food is made by Community Table Kitchen, a social enterprise of Bridge House. CTK donates meals to other local nonprofit groups, including the Emergency Family Assistance Association and Community Food Share, and provides job training through Ready to Work. “We get to provide great food and great service for the community, and the money made comes back into programs, which are literally getting people out of homelessness,” Medina said. The cafe’s full name is “Café at the J: Powered by Bridge House.” By making Bridge House a part of the name, Medina said the cafe has a chance to educate the public on what formerly homeless people can do when they receive outside support. “It kind of changes people’s impressions about what homelessness is, and the people experiencing it, and how they’re able to come out of it,” Medina said.