A charity program in Shanghai allowing people to buy an extra cup of coffee and reserve it for those who cannot afford to buy a drink has gotten off to a slow start.

Chiato Coffee, which operates in a corner of the Pudong Library hall, began offering the so-called suspended coffee on April 16 - the first participant in the city to respond to the charity program.

As of Monday, the shop had sold 31 cups of suspended coffee but only four were drunk, according to the manager, Xu Hang.