When Hurricane Helene devastated the community where Corey and Melissa Ackerman live, the couple stepped in to help ease the brunt of the damage caused by the deadly storm.
“You know, when we were able to get back up and running, it wasn't the right idea to just open the doors and go back to normal life. So I felt compelled to return the favor in some way. And that's when we came up with the idea of 'pay what you can,'” Corey Ackerman told Fox News Digital.
The Ackermans own a local coffee chain in Newport, Tenn., Snowbird Mountain Coffee Co., which was one of many Cocke County businesses affected by flooding from Hurricane Helene.
Corey Ackerman said many volunteers made it possible to clear the flood water from his store and they received equipment donated by the community to get the store up and running again.
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Corey and Melissa Ackerman are giving back to their community after floods from Hurricane Helene devastated the city. (Snowbird Mountain Coffee Co.)
“We've had so many responses from people all over the country and even local residents who have made donations to be able to help keep this business (pay what you can) going for as long as possible, which is amazing,” Melissa Ackerman said of her new business model. “And every day we give away free coffee and free meals. I mean… I don't know. It's great to know that in some small way we can help the community by giving back, even in a small way.”
The Ackermans Cocke County have lived here since 2017. They said there had been little activity in Newport for many years, but over the past year the town center had flourished, with several new businesses opening their doors.
“The few blocks where a lot of this activity was taking place happened to be the area most affected by the flooding. It broke my heart to see everyone who was so involved in building the businesses here. literally watch them take it all away and drag it out to the streets and then the garbage trucks come and throw it all away,” Corey Ackerman described. “I don't know… that's what hit me, I think, the most.”
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Newport, Tennessee was one of many communities affected by Hurricane Helene's flooding. (Snowbird Mountain Coffee Co.)
Corey Ackerman continued to describe how devastating it was for him and Melissa to see their community suffer.
“Many people lost their homes. I mean, losing a business is one thing, but losing a house is something completely different. And I don't know, I think the only thing that kind of kept everybody going was, like I say, as soon as the waters receded, the community came together and got to work. It was immediate and there was a lot of it, which was amazing,” Corey Ackerman said of the response to the cleanup efforts.
Melissa Ackerman said what she saw and heard from staff about the outpouring of support for those in need in their community was overwhelming.
She even said that people come into her store and leave $100, mentioning that one customer even left $200 without buying anything and I just left.
“Just knowing that … what we decided to do was to try to help the community and make an impact and help those families and people in the surrounding areas that were impacted, but at the same time see other people see the value in what we do.” what I do, and they want to help with it too… I think it was really amazing,” Melissa Ackerman said.
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Corey and Melissa Ackerman said they were able to reopen their doors for business thanks to community support and generous volunteers and donors. (Snowbird Mountain Coffee Co.)
“We had some really great donors who helped us get back on our feet, and as much as I cried… I couldn't even look at them. It was amazing. Just knowing that in our daily lives we are touching the souls and spirits of people to want to help us get back on our feet. And without these people, we wouldn't be able to open at all,” Melissa Ackerman continued.
The Ackermans said they have no plans to discontinue their “pay what you can program” policy. understand the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene will impact residents of their communities for years to come.
“We want to continue this activity as long as possible. With all the donations coming in, it has certainly made this possible. As long as we continue to receive donations, we can continue to do this because the impact in this area will last for a very, very long time. This won't end until the end of October. This will go on for years,” Melissa Ackerman said.
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A Tennessee coffee shop is offering a pay-what-you-can program to help those affected by flooding from Hurricane Helene. (Snowbird Mountain Coffee Co.)
The Ackermans said they are working on other ideas to raise money for needy families in their community. They talked about collaborating with Gatlinburg Brewing Company on some coffee stouts and tossed around the idea of making a special roast that they would sell to raise some money for local families.
“We have a lot of good people here who need a lot of help right now. So every little thing can help,” said Melissa Ackerman.
Corey Ackerman said he and Melissa were impressed not only by the local support, but also by support from across the country.
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“I think one of the things that amazed me was that almost immediately after I published the post it went viral for us. I mean, it had half a million views, and that's a lot for anything we've ever done,” Corey Ackerman said after announcing a new program aimed at helping those in need. “I mean, almost immediately we received donations from all over the country. People who couldn't get here to help and felt compelled to do something. So this was a way they could help.”
The couple owns two Snowbird Mountain Coffee Co. locations. in Newport and a location in Morristown.
