Jennifer Knox has not been able to serve customers at her bat The Sand Bar since officials in Tybee Island, Georgia put a stay-at-home order in place during the coronavirus pandemic. The restrictions, which mandated restaurants could only serve takeout or delivery, put financial stress on her bar, so she had to layoff her staff. But she found a unique way of helping them out. She has had dollar bills covering every inch of the bar’s walls and ceilings, totaling over $3,700, and donated it to her staff.
At the end of March, Knox sat in the empty bar and suddenly a light switched off in her mind. “We were sitting there doors locked and I’m like oh my gosh, ‘there’s money on the walls and we have time on our hands,” she told CNN. “‘We gotta get this money down.’” For about 15 years, customers have been writing their name on a dollar bill and stapling it to the bar’s walls and ceilings.
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“I can’t just sit here and do nothing,” Knox said. “I’ll do what I can for my people.” Knox and five volunteers took down every dollar bill without ruining them too much. Many of the bills had multiple staples in them, while other bills were from foreign countries. After they took them down, it took a week to count it all and clean them. The cash added up to $3,714, with stacks covering the entire bar top.
After Knox’s story made the local news in Georgia, customers started donating. Knox raised $4,104 to split among her staff. Four bartenders and two musicians were given $600 each to help out. She is still collecting to her employees, and shared her Venmo account username on Facebook.
“Feeling overwhelmed today, with good and bad feelings,” Knox wrote on Facebook on April 5. “It’s hard to balance all these thoughts and feelings. I know you all understand that. I’m so grateful for all of your sweet comments and posts. Thank you.”
“We are not doing these news segments for the attention whatsoever, but they are looking for positive stories right now,” Knox continued. “Neither station mentioned this part though. I’ve set up a Venmo account, not only for my employees and musicians, but any other service industry person on Tybee that needs the help. If you are feeling called to donate, here’s how. 100% is going to the people. We will get through this! And I can’t wait to sling some drinks for you all soon!!! Thank you, thank you!!!”
Without the dollar bills lining the walls, Knox is hoping to renovate the bar, which she has owned for the past six years with her mother. Unfortunately, she has no idea what the bar’s future will look like, especially as they miss the busiest months of the year due to the coronavirus. She is hoping to help other restaraunt workers on Tybee Island. “We all look out for each other,” she told CNN. “We are all in this together.”
