Moji Coffee + More and Central Library Collaborative

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

In order to promote the well-being and employment of citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Forsyth County invests in behavioral health services beyond those provided by the State of North Carolina or Cardinal, the local management entity. Each year, the County decides how to allocate its behavioral health funds to have the greatest impact on its citizens dealing with mental health, substance abuse, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 2019, Forsyth County agreed to fund a start-up, Moji Coffee + More, to establish a coffee shop on Trade Street in Downtown Winston-Salem that would be staffed primarily by servers with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD). Over 70% of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities are unemployed. With the County’s financial assistance, Moji now provides well-paying jobs at the Moji Coffee + More coffee shop for over two dozen individuals as well as training that is transferable to other coffee vendors in need of baristas, or as Moji refers to its servers, “Mojistas.” Faced with an empty coffee shop in the Central Library, the County needed a vendor, but the location did not seem financially feasible. Reflecting upon the success of the Moji Coffee + More shop, the County proposed that Moji take over the Library operation. Not only would this serve Library patrons, but it would also create meaningful employment to citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities.