PHOENIX (AZFamily) — While some Valley businesses closed their doors Friday to join the ‘Ice Out’ movement, one Phoenix coffee shop opted to keep its doors open and donate a big portion of its earnings to Zipps employees who are out of a job after Monday’s immigration raids.
Luana’s Coffee and Beer owners Aaron Schofield and Kylee Roberts said they wanted to give back to Zipps employees caught in the crossfire of Monday’s federal searches.
“There were a lot of people that were involved that just didn’t have a chance to have any say on what happened to them and we wanted to help,” Schofield said.
On Monday, 14 Zipps restaurants were searched by federal agents. While the sports grill has reopened some of its locations, the majority remain closed, leaving bartenders, waiters and cooks out of work.
“We’re really just trying to make a big impact for these people that were hit hard this past week,” Schofield said.
The small business owners explained that their decision to stay open Friday also helps their own employees, who may not be able to take the financial hit of a day off.
“Most of our employees, this is the only place they work. They don’t have another job,” Schofield said. “Everything’s very expensive. They need every hour they get. They’re fighting for hours already.”
Luana’s set aside what owners described as a “big portion” of Friday’s earnings for verified Zipps employees. They put out a call on social media for those who need help.
The couple said they’ve already received responses from Zipps employees, with some not asking for money for themselves but for their coworkers.
“People should know that a lot of them did reach out and say, ‘I don’t need help, but this person does,’” Schofield said.
Although the coffee shop’s decision was met with mixed opinions online, customers in the shop Friday said they were excited to help or understood the decision.
“It’s really good that they’re giving proceeds to people who aren’t able to work right now,” customer Denae Johnson said.
Customer John Girodano said he understood the business decision. “The expense of business today is astronomical,” he said. “You have to stay open. You have to make money.”
Luana’s is open until midnight Friday. Other Valley businesses have also stayed open and donated portions of their proceeds to nonprofits.
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