Brewing Support: OYEN Teams Up With Café La Onda In New Initiative for Behavioral Health Funding

WOODBURN, Ore.- Something special is brewing in Woodburn, OR.

In the heart of downtown Woodburn, nestled amongst other businesses, you will find a local coffee shop, Café La Onda. The coffee shop imports all its coffee from Mexico and sources it directly from local small-scale farms. It’s a place that believes in more than just serving coffee, but giving support to their local community and their families. 

Wanting to give back to her community as well was Melinda Avila, CEO of OYEN Emotional Wellness Center. OYEN is a Woodburn-based bilingual behavioral health clinic located just across town from Café La Onda. Avila saw her community be at a disadvantage when it came to accessing resources for behavioral health support. Even with insurance, deductibles can be high, and for families in crisis, or individuals needing help, this proved to be a barrier.

Avila wanted to raise funds that would allow for more opportunities when it came to accessing behavioral health support. Behavioral health is the treatment of behaviors that can affect a person's overall well-being. It encompasses various aspects that many are affected by including mental health, social functioning, substance use, stress and anxiety, family issues, and beyond. Avila knew many people would benefit from receiving support in these areas. 

Avila noticed that Café La Onda had partnered up with other local businesses in the past on fundraising efforts. The partnership would typically involve the coffee shop offering a special bag of coffee beans at their store for sale, with some of the proceeds going directly to the business initiatives. The coffee shop's new co-owners, Luis Lamas and Carisa Rangel Gottuso, believed that as both a Latino-owned and woman-owned business, helping the underserved population was important.

Avila decided to reach out to the coffee shop in hopes of starting a similar partnership. After some discussion, something special started brewing between the two. Café La Onda would sell one of their signature coffee beans, a dark roast processed in Veracruz, Mexico. It is one of Café La Onda’s more bolder coffees and also happens to be a house favorite. The packaging will feature OYEN’s logo on it, with part of the sales proceeds going towards OYEN’s mission of creating healthier communities. 

“We're excited to partner with an organization that we have such an affinity towards,” says  Gottuso. “One that we feel both contributes so much to the community and serves a population that has been overlooked and underserved.” 

A dedication to taking care of their own community was just one of many things Café La Onda and OYEN had in common. With the strive to empower their neighbors and foster connections, putting their communities at the forefront, was something the two saw eye to eye on. 

“Café La Onda has been a leader in Woodburn by thinking outside the box to create healthy communities,” says Avila. “I like to think that OYEN does the same. When business owners come together with the purpose to be community-driven, that creates healthy communities, it is a win-win. I am grateful to Café La Onda for seeing the bigger picture, which is investing in our community who are vulnerable and seeking support.”

This new initiative will open the floodgates to new possibilities when it comes to accessibility in behavioral health support. With more accessibility, there is hope that people will be able to find strength inside to be the best version of themselves and to not just exist in life, but to thrive in life. This partnership will bring hope to people who desperately need behavioral health support but may not necessarily have the resources. 

“We will never lose sight of serving the most vulnerable population,” says Avila. “The goal is to build healthy communities. Healthy communities equals thriving communities.”

The bag of coffee will be available for purchase at Café La Onda, both in-store and online, on September 13, 2024.