The RD Drama Department and 1951 Coffee

Last spring, the Redwood Day Drama Department put on a successful production of the musical Fiddler on the Roof. At the end of the play the community of Jews are forced out of their home and must look for a new place to live. They have become refugees, and acknowledge that they will soon become strangers in a strange new land. As this is still an unfortunate reality of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, the Redwood Day Drama Department decided to donate the proceeds from their concessions sales to the organization 1951 Coffee in Berkeley.

 

1951 Coffee is a non-profit specialty coffee organization seeking to promote the well-being of the refugee community in the San Francisco Bay Area by providing job training and employment to refugees and asylees while educating the surrounding community about refugee life and issues.

 

In 1951 the United Nations first defined and set forth guidelines for the protection of refugees. These protections were further expanded in the 1967 Protocols giving the UNHCR a global mandate.

 

1951 Coffee Company was founded in 2015 in the spirit of these conventions to give refugees being resettled in the San Francisco Bay Area assistance in starting their new lives through training and employment in the rapidly expanding coffee industry.

 

On Saturday, September 1st, a few of the students from the cast of Fiddler on the Roof, their parents, and Drama Teacher Vince Faso met with Doug Hewitt, one of 1951 Coffee's founders. Over coffee, Mr. Hewitt talked to the small group about the mission of 1951 coffee and how they strive to help refugees from all over the world find employment, friendship, and community through coffee. There are many ways for the Redwood Day Community to contribute to this mission, and the door for future partnership has been opened. For more information about 1951 coffee, check out their website or visit them in person: 2410 Channing Way Berkeley, 94704