BUFFALO, N.Y. — This year marks the fifth year of Black Restaurant Week in Buffalo and it's a huge opportunity to help out the Black community.

Golden Cup Coffee has been a staple in Buffalo's Cold Springs neighborhood for more than a decade and it's joining the lineup for Black Restaurant Week for the first time.

Their plans for this year's event include bringing long-term growth to Buffalo’s East Side.

For more than a decade, Jackie Stover-Stitts and her husband Larry have found success at their East Side café and roastery, Golden Cup Coffee company. Born and raised in the Queen City, Jackie came back to Buffalo after law school to reinvest in her community, and this year she’s joined Black Restaurant Week in hopes that other businesses will follow her lead.

“Communities grow when there’s a multitude of businesses in the area not just one or two and they encourage people to live here and build housing here," said Jackie. "Not just affordable housing where all poor people live.”

The shop is just steps away from the Tops supermarket on Jefferson Avenue and since the shooting, Jackie says they’ve seen more faces in the neighborhood than ever before.

“It’s been interesting we’ve met a lot of new people, a lot of people that rarely come into the neighborhood to have coffee and conversation,” said Jackie.

She says she hopes the added attention, will encourage more people to see the Cold Springs neighborhood as an area of opportunity.

"It’s critical, I think, that people know it's relatively safe to be here and hopefully it will encourage them to want to invest in this area whether it be in housing or in businesses," Jackie said. "We would love to see that input into the community.”

Mark Overall, president of the Buffalo Urban League of Young Professionals, says he wants to ensure that this community continues to thrive after the cameras leave.

“For two weeks it was a national story and now that’s gone," said Overall.

Celebrating its fifth year, Overall says Black Restaurant Week is more important than ever as they're not just putting businesses on a list but, giving people of color the tools to market their products to a wider audience.

“Literally, thousands of people here this year that weren't here last year and they don’t know about these places so we can keep the revenue in our community circulating,” Overall said.

As for Jackie, she says it’s a golden opportunity for the rest of the city to see the things she’s always loved about the East Side.

“As people move back into the city, it’s a great opportunity to grow," Jackie said. "Affordable living, affordable food and a great place to live."

More than 50 restaurants are participating during Black Restaurant Week this year. For the full list, click here.