A Christian-owned pro-life coffee company in South Florida has launched an initiative to use profits to gift 100 cars to struggling single mothers in need and has already assisted the mother of a severely autistic teen.
Burly Man Coffee, a Stuart-based subscription coffee service launched last December, gifted in March a four-door Kia sedan to Celeste Bokstrom, the mother and full-time caretaker of her 16-year-old non-verbal autistic son, Logan. Bokstrom and Logan live in a makeshift apartment inside a single-car garage in Lake Worth. The mother is forced to use a hotplate as a stove and hasn’t owned a vehicle for the past four years.
But Bokstrom and her son were provided with a “hand-up” after Burly Man Coffee owners, Jeremy and Tiana Wiles, heard about the family’s struggles.
“I think that God looks down and He sees you stuck,” Jeremy Wiles told Bokstrom. “He doesn’t want you to be stuck. We thought we would do something to keep you moving forward.”
In addition to a new car, Bokstrom and her son were gifted with an iPad, a tool that will help him communicate and provide comfort when he is upset. The company also gifted other resources that will help with Logan’s caretaking.The mother was also treated to a shopping spree, a surprise party with her friends and a salon makeover.
“To me, this is a lot more than gifts,” she said in the video. “This is making my life and my son’s life better in every way. I had no idea this was going to happen to me,” Bokstrom said in a statement. “I had faith and believed that God knew my struggles, but I never expected this. Receiving a car has changed my world. And Logan is now getting the help he deserves. I’m so grateful. Burly Man Coffee has changed our lives for the better.”
A news release explains that Burly Man Coffee’s goal is to donate 100 cars to single mothers as a way to fight the “dangerous agenda to shame American men with a message on ‘toxic masculinity.’”
“There are single moms barely staying afloat because some men have abandoned ship. Burly Man Coffee has stepped up to fill in the gap and provide relief by meeting their most critical needs,” Tiana Wiles said. “This is an opportunity to demonstrate what real men do: they take care of those in need. If we can change the life of a mother and her child for the better, then we are doing something right.”
The company also assures that it is “pro-life.” While coffee giant Starbucks financially supports the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, Wiles condemned companies that pour “millions of dollars into movements that do not protect life, faith, and values.”
“We’re putting our money where our mouth is, so that good folks can put their mouth where their values are,” Wiles explained. “We support struggling single moms and families with every purchase. Through our charitable program, we are able to help struggling mothers get back on their feet by providing food, clothing, vehicles, assistance with mounting bills, medical care, and sustainable financial planning.”