A restaurant barista was surprised after seeing outpouring support from netizens amounting to $74,000 (Php 3,689,640) in tips after he refused to serve a woman for not wearing a face mask.
Amber Lynn Giles posted Lenen Gutierrez’s face on social media after the latter didn’t serve anything to her at the coffee shop based in California. Giles attempted to publicly shame Gutierrez, only to find herself getting the flak for what she did.
State rules in California require its residents to wear face masks on places where social distancing is not possible. Giles earned the ire of many social media netizens, stating that Gutierrez was only following the company’s safety rules and regulations to help curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country.
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A concerned netizen by the name of Matt Cowan then set up a GoFundMe page to help Gutierrez by giving him tips for his act of compliance. What was an initial $1,000 goal had reached $10,000 by June 24. Cowan personally handed the money to Gutierrez on that same day.
Gutierrez then released his own video explaining the events that transpired with Giles and thanked all netizens who supported him during this time.
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“I can fuel my passions even better now. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for it. It’s just amazing to see that I can actually make these dreams of pursuing more into dance a thing now. Thank you so much for it,” said Gutierrez, who revealed that he would use the funds he earned to pursue his passion to teach kids how to dance.
People continued to donate more funds to Gutierrez’s cause reaching nearly $75,000 to date.
Watch Lenen’s video here:
