Tinley Kids' Café Coffee Stand To Close For Season After $1,500 Raised

TINLEY PARK, IL — It was a lot of early mornings on their summer vacation for a group of Tinley Park kids and friends who started up a neighborhood coffee stand this summer. They're about to close up shop for the season, but have tallied more than $1,500 raised for various charitable causes.

Behind the scenes at Hanover Kids' Café, Mikey (12), Gianluca (12), Allison (12), Gavin (12), Johnathan (11), Joey (9) Christian (8) and Erin (13), learned how to hand-make custom lattes, baked muffins and cookies, designed and drew the menus—even recorded commercials for the curbside coffee stand. Each week they selected a different cause as recipients of the proceeds, including White Sox Charities, Leukemia Research Foundation, Together We Cope, a boy in Plainfield recently diagnosed with cancer, and the Jaber family of Tinley Park. The cafe raised more than $550 for the Jaber family in just three days.

They've woken up at 6 a.m. on their summer mornings without a peep of complaint, mom Ashleigh Gringas told Patch in an email. They've taken into account food allergies, and learned math, business, philanthropy and how to work with others.

Customers have included family members, neighbors, teachers, school staff and administrators—even new District 140 Superintendent Dan Callaghan.

The café's final day will be Friday, August 5. Located at Hanover Drive and Milford Avenue, you can stop by from 7 to 8:45 a.m. The kids will be encouraged to keep the proceeds this time, but there will be jars set out for each charity, for any customers to drop in a donation.