We’re kicking off the Donate Life Challenge here at Unyts, and couldn’t be more excited about the competition this summer!
Each week we’re highlighting some of our partners in the Donate Life Challenge, those businesses and corporations that made this event possible. Coffee Culture Cafe & Eatery, at 448 Elmwood Avenue, is our official sponsor of the Donate Life Challenge.
Michael Meade, store owner of the Buffalo location, says he’s excited to take part in this years challenge. “People like our coffee, but we wanted to make sure that WNY knows we have great food as well. The Donate Life Challenge allows the business community to see what we have to offer .” Meade is providing all the catering and t-shirts for educational opportunities within the Donate Life Challenge.
Meade, along with his business partner Joseph Ponti, opened the Elmwood Avenue location last year and they’re already making big commitments to the WNY community. The pair met back in 1996, and decided to start a business together. Sagittarius Serpentarius Holdings LLC was formed shortly after. Meade says even though he wasn’t in Buffalo at the time, he knew he wanted to focus his business ventures on the community he grew up in. After all, he’s a huge Sabres and Bills fan and has always been a Buffalo booster. He’s a proud graduate of Canisius High School and served on the Board of Trustees there for 6 years. He remains active in the school community. If you stop by the Elmwood Avenue Coffee Culture, you can see a jazz quartet from Canisius High School each Thursday evening. He even recruits some of the students to become baristas.
In April 2011, Coffee Culture at 448 Elmwood Avenue opened its doors. Committed to giving back to the community, Meade made a pledge right away to donate 1.5% of all the stores sales to Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.
Meade also took over ownership of the Coffee Culture Ellicottville location in 2011 and is involved in the community there, sponsoring the Cattaraugus County Relay for Life. Between the two Coffee Culture locations, Meade employs around 30 people.
Why Unyts? Meade says he found us through social media! He starting following Unyts on twitter and became interested in the “Donate Life” mission. Within a year and a half, Meade lost his mother and his brother. It made him realize how fragile life can be. He says giving back to the community that supports him is the right thing to do.
“I feel compelled to do good things, especially here in Buffalo.”
We thank Michael Meade for being a huge part of the Donate Life Challenge!
Tags: Canisius College, coffee culture, Donate Life Challenge, Ellicottville, Elmwood Avenue, Michael Meade, relay for life, UNYTS, women & children's hospital