In late September and into early October, Hurricane Ian ravaged the southeastern part of the United States, Florida in particular. The Category 4 storm was the deadliest to hit the state in almost 100 years, killing 126 in Florida alone as well as causing an estimated $50 billion in damages.
To help fellow residents, Tampa, Florida’s Now and Then Coffee is hosting an in-person and virtual raffle in hopes of raising funds to go toward disaster relief efforts.
Started on Sunday, October 16th and running through the 23rd, folks will be able to purchase raffle tickets as part of the virtual portion of the event that they can then allot toward the prizes of their choosing. And oh what prizes Now and Then has acquired for the event. Raffle items include a three-month Cometeer subscription, a one-hour class of your choice with Atlas Coffee Importers, an Etkin dripper, and an Acaia Pearl scale, before culminating with the two big ticket prizes: a Eureka Atom 75 espresso grinder and Urnex cleaning package as well as a Rancilio Silvia Pro espresso machine and Urnex cleaning package.
All profits raised will be donated to relief efforts and emergency supplies, particularly Current Initiatives—a Florida-based non-profit organization—and Go Fund Bean’s Disaster Relief Fund. Now and Then hopes to raise $10,000 via the raffle, and Oatly has committed to matching up to $7,000.
Tickets for the raffle are $10 each and are acquired by donating directly via Classy, a donation platform for non-profits. Once you have made your donation, email Raffle@nowandthen.coffee with a photo or screenshot of your receipt, making sure to include how many tickets you want to go for which prize. (Tickets are not for the raffle in general, but individual prizes of your choosing. That way you won’t win something you don’t want.)
Then, on October 23rd, the fundraiser culminates with an in-person event at Spaddy’s Coffee’s Seminole Heights location. Here the raffle winners will be announced—and posted to Now and Then’s Instagram. There will also be a handful of local vendors, beer, food, music, gift baskets, and exclusive in-person-only raffle items. It all gets going at 6:00pm.
For more information on the prizes, the in-person event, or to donate, visit Now and Then Coffee’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
