West Virginia cafe gives addicts second chance at life

CHARLESTON, West Virginia -- A West Virginia cafe has become much more than a place for food and coffee.

Cheryl Laws opened up Cafe Appalachia as part of her non-profit organization and is part of her mission to give people in recovery a place to work that helps them stay healthy.

It's taken some time for Laws to get it off the ground.

"It's a baby," she told WOWK. "That's what I've said, nine months. It's taken nine months."

The open kitchen is staffed with folks who are recovering from addiction. People like Emily, who is the cafe's barista.

"She is in long-term recovery. The reintegration part is the hardest part for her, finding people where she can be who she is," Laws said.

Laws and her non-profit, Pollen8, is focusing on that reintegration back into society after rehab.

The cafe is one of Pollen8's ventures. It's modeled after one that Laws spent much of her time in while she was getting her Masters degree from Appalachian State University.

As far as pricing, the cafe is simply pay what you can.

"Here, it's about paying what you can afford. Pay what you can. If you can afford a little bit more, pay a little bit more, that will go towards feeding someone else," Jessie Shafer said.