OUR MISSION :

As a mother I have made it my mission to keep the smile upon my son Jacob’s face. Since the moment he came out of his coma surviving a severe brain infection, 2 major haemorrhages, 2 bouts in ITU and 4 life threatening brain surgeries which left him with extensive brain damage and consequently disabled in February 2013, I have made a promise to myself that my family would not play the pity game and would do whatever it takes to make my son the hero and not the victim!!

Once discharged from hospital my family’s trauma was far from over. When I asked the doctors what do we do now, I was told to bring my son along for his appointments and to take him to his countless therapy sessions. It didn’t sit quite right with me. There had to be more ….. the road to recovery is long and hard. Scars run deep and are not so easy to heal, especially the scars that cannot be seen!! I remember thinking to myself that surely there were other families out there that had “Survived” as we had; families that were left feeling as lost and alone in their struggles as we were??!!

I asked Jacob “How can we find them?”

“Facebook mum. It’s simple!!” was his reply!

And so our support group SURVIVORS MALTA was born. We reached out telling our story. Others followed. Thousands to be precise. We found strength in each other. Motivation. Inspiration. And who better to give it than those who have walked in your shoes. Fast forward 4 years later and Survivors Malta went on to become an NGO initiating and instigating projects to help boost the morale of families facing trauma. The next step forward was to move that support from the virtual world into the real world …..

WHY A COFFEE SHOP? :

It all started with a dream. My son’s dream in fact. Jacob had changed so much since the trauma. From a shy introvert awkward teenage boy he had become this extrovert sociable young man who thrived on meeting new people wherever we went. Choosing to opt for a business course at MCAST rather than IT he expressed his desire to one day open his own coffee shop. For this lively positive lad life behind a desk wasn’t an option, but why a coffee shop you may ask?! Well at the time, besides meeting with families at the hospital in the waiting area at ITU; on the wards and throughout rehabilitation at Karin Grech Hospital; we were also meeting fellow Survivors for coffees at various Café’s all over the Island. We were to discover along our journey that Survivors meeting Survivors is simply the best medicine ever! Jacob joked that we had met so many Survivors over a coffee that we might as well open a coffee shop!! Well this got me thinking. What if I were to fulfil my son’s coffee shop dream whilst at the same time provide a place to go where Survivors can meet?! Jacob’s Brew was to be that place!

THE CONCEPT :

Have you ever been in a situation when saying THANK YOU to someone for their act of kindness didn’t quite seem enough? It is just a word after all and actions do speak louder than words!! To explain PAY IT FORWARD in a nutshell it is when you repay a kind deed done to you by doing a kind deed to somebody else in return. At Jacob’s Brew we have adopted this concept. It is a coffee shop open to all, but with a difference. By simply choosing to be a customer at Jacob’s Brew you will automatically be paying it forward to families facing hardship in two ways :

When you pay your bill (no extra charges) we will stamp your receipt with our PAY IT FORWARD stamp. You will have the opportunity to pass this receipt on to a family that you may know or perhaps may come across that you feel may need support. When they come to our coffee shop and give us the stamped receipt we will offer them a free pot of coffee or tea and the support that they need!

At the end of every financial year my family will donate a percentage of the profits from sales at Jacob’s Brew to the NGO Survivors Malta funding existing projects and future initiatives. So ultimately by helping us make our business a success we will be able to continue to pay it forward to help other Survivor families!!

An added bonus is that we have designated a room at the back of the shop; a meeting hub where Survivors may meet for one on one support and group meetings/get togethers. We also support other NGO’s and local entities who are welcome to hold their activities and meetings on our premises.

What has been so amazing throughout our journey is that others also believed in my son and wanted to see his dream come true too. We have been blessed to have so many wonderful people help us to make his dream become a reality and this is what makes Jacob’s Brew so special. It’s a coffee shop with a ♥️

If you have taken the time to read this over a cup of coffee remember YOU too can pay it forward simply by choosing to be a patron here at Jacob’s Brew ultimately helping us to help others!!

I would like to take this opportunity to THANK YOU for believing in us and all that we do 😊

Sarah (Jacob’s Mum)