Rosettas for Relief, a non-profit donation drive spanning 10 cities across America, landed in Seattle over the weekend to raise money for relief organizations operating in Haiti. The events saw generous donations of cash, goods, time and care from the following local companies: Stumptown, Kuma Coffee, Espresso Parts, Neptune, Sunshine Dairy, and Visions Espresso (who were kind enough to host the event in their Coffee Enhancement Lounge). In attendance were a smörgåsbord of Seattle coffee professionals, kindhearted onlookers and supporters, and the event’s organizer, one Sam Penix of Brooklyn, NY. Sam journeyed here from Everyman Espresso, located inside the Classical Stage Company in Manhattan’s East Village, serving Counter Culture Coffee in a limited menu of 6 traditional offerings. One of Sam’s regulars founded REBATI, R4R’s primary recipient of relief contributions. Sam was kind enough to speak with us regarding Rosettas For Relief:
“The idea behind this project is…act locally but think globally. It could be fucking bigger. There are a lot of haters out there…but the coffee community is easily mobilized, and there are a lot of caring folks involved”. Sam’s efforts with R4R have raised truly stunning amounts of cash thus far, including well over $1000 at the Seattle event alone. Much of the cash raised came from individual shops and baristas, who engaged and reached out to customers for support. Sam made a point of shouting out Katie Carguilo and Meister of CCCNYC, Anne Nylander of Tamp Tamp, and Sarah Dooley of Visions Espresso as being in the forefront of organizing this year’s R4R events.
Oh, and there was latte art! Heavy on the tulips, perhaps, but no shortage of love. All hosted by Daniel Humphries. Here’s a list of the charitable competitors and their affable affiliates:
Shawn Hardison and Mark Pfaff – Victrola Coffee Roasters
Lauren Aielo – Stumptown
Pierce Young – Slayer
Sam Lewontin – Equal Exchange Co-Op
Sarah Dooley, Thomas Pikart – Visions Espresso
Andrew Milstead, Darren Mcardel, Jody Robbins – Urban Coffee Lounge
Katie Hartline – Trabant/Fonte
Melissa Harris – Fonte
The results: Sam Lewontin earned the bronze. Ms. Katie Hartline garnered a second-place silver medal. The winner was the ubiquitously victorious Andrew Milstead. Congratulations to all the competitors, a huge thank you to all the sponsors, and a hearty huzzah to Sam (and fiancée Sasha) for traveling west and bringing their worthy cause to the city of Seattle.
What’s next, you might ask? Well…10 cities now across the USA. In the future: after five beers, Sprudge.com and Everyman Espresso have decided to partner to bring Rosettas For Relief into global game-changing territory. Tokyo, London, Oslo, Dublin, Vancouver, and that’s just for starters. Expect big things in 2010. Think locally, act globally, and shush the haters with bold action.
