Anonymous Donors Give $100 A Day To Stillwater Cafe To 'Pay It Forward'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - In a year where stress levels are high and pockets are pinched, a small Minnesota community is choosing to give generously.
Tim and Megan Palm, who own the Daily Grind Cafe in downtown Stillwater, are able to give out coffee, no charge.
"Someone has put down $100 every morning to buy other people coffee for 244 days in a row," said Tim Palm.
The pay-it-forward gesture has lasted every day since the pandemic began in March.
The $100 donation is coming from different people every day, sometimes even outside of Stillwater.
"We get phone calls from out of state: Florida and California," said Tim Palm.
While $100 a day isn't paying any big bills, it's giving customers a small gift of kindness when they need it most.
"A $2 coffee will make someone just cry right in front of me," he added.
For the first time in its 28-year history, Daily Grind Cafe has become more than a coffee shop. The Palms converted their public restrooms into classrooms for their kids while they're distance learning this year.
But the biggest lesson taught at the café every day is that of the kindness of strangers.
The Daily Grind owners says there is no end date. They'll keep the pay-it-forward streak going as long as donations keep coming in. They post on their Facebook page every morning when another $100 comes in for the day.
