Coffee is one of the unsung heroes of the coronavirus crisis; many mornings, it’s the only thing that gets us out of bed to face yet another day in quarantine. But due to the mandated closures, coffee shops—and the local roasters who serve them—are hurting in a big way. Here are some ways you can support them through these tough times, and ways they’re supporting their communities right back. Coffee is a giver like that.

Native Coffee Club, a monthly subscription service featuring local Colorado roasters, is doing something to help their struggling industry. The company started the #SaveColoradoCoffee campaign to support local shops and roasters right now. For every Colorado coffee purchase or donation you make, you can enter a weekly giveaway to win gift cards, merchandise and, yes, coffee. Two missions are accomplished here: You get coffee, and local roasters get the support they need to stay in business.

Denver-based cold brew experts NuRange Coffee want to share their magical buzz with nurses and first responders. What better way to help them work those long, intense hours than with a little cold brew? (Minus the jitters and crash, of course—NuRange adds magnesium, vitamin C, and L-theanine to counteract caffeine’s negative side effects.) Know someone working at a hospital or other medical facility that could use a pick-me-up? Nominate them for a donation.

The Bardo Coffee House has honored first responders for a decade now—those pros always drink free coffee and tea at Bardo’s two locations (South Broadway and West 38th Avenue). To help Bardo keep this awesome tradition going, the shop is selling gift cards for 15 percent off (use code BARDO1), giving you a sweet deal and bringing the coffee house much-needed revenue to keep the java flowing for everyone who needs it.

So coffee lovers could have a centralized website for finding which shops are currently serving, Kat Melheim, editor of Coffee People Zine, put together a list of Denver coffee shops’ hours, offerings, and updates. “It’s in rough shape right now,” she says of our local coffee landscape. “I want to encourage responsible support of our amazing coffee scene. Lots of shops are doing order-ahead and contactless pickup.”

Upgrade St. Joseph hospital’s java to Novo Coffee via the local roaster’s Coffee for Hospital Workers program. Buy a 12-ounce, two-pound, or five-pound bag and Novo will bring it over to the overtaxed healthcare professionals at St. Joe’s.

More fuel for medical workers: Corvus Coffee Roasters’ Coffee for Nurses program. Customers can order discounted coffee (and pastries too!) that Corvus will deliver to area hospitals and medical centers. If you have a favorite local hospital shift you want to reward with good coffee, email Kyle@corvuscoffee.com to get them on the shop’s radar.

Allyson Reedy
Allyson Reedy
Allyson Reedy is a freelance writer and ice cream fanatic living in Broomfield.