Don’t forget to tip your waiter!
The staff at a Park Slope cafe is donating their tips to aid hurricane-relief efforts in Puerto Rico, and some patrons are so supportive of the initiative, they leave their appetites at home and swing by just to drop money in the collection jar, according to an employee.
“We have people from the neighborhood who just stop by to donate ten dollars,” said Brad Canning, a manager at Postmark Cafe on Sixth Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues. “Anybody can help, we don’t care if they buy coffee. One hundred percent of the tip money is going to Puerto Rico.”
The workers spearheaded similar fund-raising efforts for Texans following Hurricane Harvey, Canning said, which inspired them to start a new drive for the island that has strong ties to New York City.
“As New Yorkers, we’re connected to Puerto Rico,” he said. “We are happy to be a part of something positive right now.”
Proceeds from the collection will be donated to United for Puerto Rico, a charity the island’s first lady started following the devastation wreaked by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and Visit Rico, a group that aids local farmers affected by the storms, according to Canning.
Staff members raised around $2,800 of their $3,800 end-of-month goal, he said, which they expect to meet because the cafe’s owners promised a donation that matches whatever employees collect in tips.
