Mexico and Puerto Rico are both currently dealing with massive devastation caused by natural disasters. Mexico was rocked by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake south of Mexico City that has taken the lives of over 200 individuals and Puerto Rico is in a state of emergency after Hurricane Maria has left 42% of the population without potable water and the entire island without power.
Chicago’s New Gotham Coffee Community—a non-profit aiming to connect the city’s coffee professionals—have stepped up to help. Called #CoffeeAyudo, eight of Chicago’s cafes are banding together to raise funds to help with relief efforts, and it all starts this Saturday, September 30th, International Coffee Day.
Translating to “Coffee Help,” #CoffeeAyudo features specialty coffee shops like Metric, Wormhole, Ipsento, and others. Each shop decides how they want to participate; some may be doing tip matching, some may donate a portion of sales, and others may do something else entirely. Some cafes will even continue the fundraising efforts throughout the weekend and beyond, but the goal for all participating shops is the same: raise money and awareness for the citizens of Mexico and Puerto Rico who were affected by these natural disasters.
If you don’t live in the Chicago area but want to help, the New Gotham Coffee Community suggests giving directly to Topos Mexico and Unidos Por Puerto Rico, both of whom are accepting donations via Paypal. And #CoffeeAyudo is looking for more cafes to join. If your coffee shops wants to be part of the efforts email New Gotham Coffee Community at Hey@NewGothamCoffee.com.
Here are all the cafes currently participating:
Wormhole Coffee, 1462 N Milwaukee
Loba Coffee + Pastry, 3422 N Lincoln
Passion House Coffee Roasters & Cafe, 2631 N Kedzie
Build Coffee, 6100 S Blackstone
For more information, visit #CoffeeAyudo’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network.
*top image via New Gotham Coffee Community
