Positive Impact Force was founded to be a Force for GOOD in our community. Our mission is to unleash the potential of people, organizations and the community by helping organizations build triple bottom line cultures (People, Planet, and Profit), and we would like to recognize other businesses, organizations and community members who are also making our community better.
The Portico Café
On 10-25-18, Social Venture Partners Tampa Bay hosted the 2018 Fast Pitch Tampa Bay event, where ten social enterprises pitched to win $25,000. There are some great social enterprises out there and we were happy to see one that we frequent and support – The Portico Café. The Portico Café is located at 1001 North Florida Avenue, Tampa, FL, 33602 and is a great place to host a meeting, event, or just have lunch. The café offers a delicious menu, fun atmosphere, free wifi, reasonable prices AND also helps community members who are transitioning out of homelessness. A portion of the staff are transitioning out of not-for-profits, paid a livable wage and offered healthcare. They also place homeless men into beds, provide them jobs, and help them get on a ladder to permanent employment.
During their pitch presentation, Rev. Justin LaRosa, LCSW – Director, The Portico Campus of Hyde Park United Methodist Church, stated they have plans in place for his staff to continue their development and move to even higher paying jobs, allowing new employees the opportunity of this starting point. They also had a very moving story from an employee of The Portico Café about how the opportunity to work in the café not only changed her life, but allowed her to have custody of her daughter again, gave her a purpose so she could rehabilitate herself, and allowed her to be a contributing member of our community.
Supporting this great mission is just a lunch away. We encourage you to check them out and consider hosting a holiday meeting or event there. Their staff is fantastic, food is great and you’re helping your community become even better!