Carpenter's Coffee Bar – giving new life to old items

Carpenter's Coffee Bar not only sells coffee, but is also a welfare shop selling second-hand goods. Through its policy of giving new life to old items, the shop supports the lives of disadvantaged groups and activities related to public welfare. In the process of recycling unwanted household furniture and other items, the shop trains people from disadvantaged groups and supports them through rough times. To date, Carpenter's Coffee Bar has already recycled thousands of furniture items and helped over seventy middle-aged people find work opportunities. 

Secretary-General, Liu Xiu-rong (劉修榮) said that Carpenter's Coffee Bar has helped many people from disadvantaged backgrounds find a sense of achievement and new purpose in life. Regardless of whether the change comes about following an informal chat with one of the shop’s volunteers or whether it is from being given work at the shop, many find their attitude to life transformed and manage to abandon the victim mindset.

Recently, Liu Xiu-rong was deeply moved by the predicament of Mr Fan, a man suffering from Asperger’s syndrome. At first, Mr Fan found even basic communication difficult, but through the loving kindness of staff at the shop, he gradually gained in confidence and began having normal interaction with the people around him. After trying his hand at various kinds of work, Mr Fan eventually found his vocation in the renovation and maintenance of old bric-a-brac. 

Carpenter's Coffee Bar – giving new life to old items

URL:http://www.peopo.org/news/258013

(以下是中文對照)

木匠的家 為老舊物品注入新生命

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木匠的家是一間咖啡館，也是公益二手店，透過回收再利用，支持弱勢族群生活與各公益行動。藉由回收民眾家中淘汰的家具、物品，訓練弱勢朋友修復，支持他們走過生活困境，至今已修復數萬件家具，幫助七十餘人獲得重生的機會。 

總幹事劉修榮說，很多弱勢朋友來到這裡，不論是透過和志工的對談，或者是投入在這裡獲得的工作之後，因為工作而獲得成就感，改變了對生命的態度，不再只是怨天尤人，開始找到新的人生目標。最令他印象深刻便是患有亞斯柏格症的范先生，一開始來到協會就連溝通都有困難，但協會的每個人都願意用愛包容，使他漸漸的產生信心，和人能有正常互動，他嘗試了許多工作，最後則是在修繕、保養物品方面找到了他的位置。