Cafe In Pryor Gives Women A Second Chance At A Fresh Start

A new coffee shop in Pryor, called Heritage Cafe, will open on August 11. This shop will give women who have been incarcerated or those who are aging out of the foster system an opportunity at a job.

Finding a job is one of the more difficult things for people who are getting out of jail. Heritage Cafe seeks to break that barrier for women.

The cafe has been in the works for two years now, and it's worked with Creekside Church to give women another chance.

Heritage Cafe got inspiration from She Brews Coffee House in Claremore, which provides a similar opportunity for women re-entering society.

Cathy Baker is one of those women who's been given an opportunity at Heritage Cafe, and she said sometimes all people really need is that second chance.

"It gives them a chance, and sometimes that’s all that we need is a chance. I was given a chance you know working at She Brews for a little while, and then the café found me and here I am managing the café now," Baker said.

Heritage Cafe also works hand-in-hand with Creekside Church and is an extension of the church's ministry. Creekside Church saw the need to help formerly incarcerated women get their lives back on track in a healthy workplace while also providing them with valuable networking opportunities down the road.

"That’s one of the hopes is that we would be able to create an environment here that would be really helpful to them. Whereas some jobs might suck you back into decisions that landed you in prison in the first place, that hopefully this can be a really healthy network-building opportunity for them too," Neil Oldham, Lead Associate Pastor at Creekside Church said.