I’ve always loved the concept of “paying it forward.”
You unexpectedly do something nice for someone you don’t know and instead of receiving something from them in return, that person does something charitable for someone else and the good deeds keep moving, well, forward.
On my Life List (yes, it’s cheesy, but it’s a great tool for keeping track of all the awesome things I want to do), I’ve had “pay for a stranger’s groceries” for quite some time now. There have been many instances where I’ve been waiting in line at Publix and have been tempted to leave extra money with the cashier and tell them to cover the purchases of the person in line behind me, but I usually choke and decide against it when I see the heaping piles of food in their baskets. As a college student, I’m not financially stable enough right now to balance my own budget, let alone give money away to a stranger at the store.
Although I haven’t checked that particular good deed off my list, when I heard about the concept of “suspended” drinks at a coffee shop, I couldn’t help but think paying it forward has the potential to be a much simpler and much more regular part of our lives.
Via: anygivenfood.com
Essentially, you and a friend walk into a shop and order three coffees, two for you both to drink and then one “suspended.” You pay for all three and move on with your day. But when someone comes in who cannot afford to buy their own drink (say a homeless individual needing hot tea on a particularly cold night), they can ask if there are any “suspended” drinks and be served the coffee that you funded.
The concept of the suspended drink ensures that your generosity reaches someone in need.
Yes, it is a sweet gesture to buy the coffee in advance for the person behind you in line at Starbucks one morning, but chances are, if they are waiting in line at Starbucks, they have the means to purchase the beverage of their choosing. The concept of the suspended drink ensures that your generosity reaches someone in need.
A lot of times we have good intentions and want to be charitable and help other people, but it just slips our minds. You don’t walk into Chipotle planning to buy an extra meal for someone who can’t afford it.
What if the option of helping other people in your community was printed right on the menu?
We walk around with wallets stuffed with punch cards designed to reward customers for eating 15 pounds of fro-yo or buying 8 subs, but what if they were rewarded for their contributions to the community?
If local businesses took the route of “Purchase 2 suspended items in a month and your next meal is on the house,” or the option of suspending your complimentary tub of rice with your meal at Sushi Chao, helping others could become integrated into our daily lives. The Gainesville area would foster a real sense of community and the strain on local shelters and outreach programs to provide for the overwhelming number of people living under the poverty line could be greatly reduced.
I was astonished at the volume of positive responses I received from Midtown and a Question of Morality, but the true test of any kind of social change is moving past pondering the issues and doing something about them.
If you’re a business owner yourself, offer it to your customers. At bare minimum, you’ll look like a good-deed conscious establishment.
If you’re a customer, next time you’re grabbing a bite to eat at a local restaurant, ask at the register if you can buy a “suspended” item. Sure, the person will probably have no idea what you’re talking about. Explain it. Ask again next time. Spread the concept and pay it forward and it is guaranteed to make an appearance on the menu.
Go ahead: suspend your coffee. Don’t suspend your hope.
Via:Starbucks UK
Image courtesy of: Kayla Steele
