SNOHOMISH, Wash. — When Governor Inslee ordered another shutdown for indoor dining in late November, The Maltby Cafe saw sales drop by 90 percent.
But co-owner Tana Baumler refused to ask for or accept help.
"So many people are failing, why should we get money? There were so many components," explained Baumler.
But little did she know her two daughters had a plan. They turned to local developer and family friend Jim Barger for help and explained that without help, the restaurant would not make it.
"We had an end-run around Tana and I launched the GoFundMe at 3:34 AM on Monday," shared Barger.
The GoFundMe launched Monday, November 30th and one week later it had raised more than 120 thousand dollars.
"She is a selfless person who will always find a way and it was time for her to allow her community to find a way for her. She had people ask her if they could help and she just continued to refuse," explained Barger.
Barger said Tana has endured a lot in the past year, suffering a stroke and then losing her husband. And despite the challenges, she has remained faithful in her generosity with her community in Washington in abroad.
Barger and his wife traveled with Baumler and her family to India and she later became the catalyst for their work to provide, food, hygiene and education for the poorest communities.
And recently she helped establish a home for children there.
Baumler said she has never felt so loved and overwhelmed by the generosity she's been shown in the last week.
"It's been overwhelming and what I realized as people were coming in, they said, 'You can't go away because I got engaged here' or 'I came here before I had my baby.' I realized then it wasn't about me. It was about the Cafe and relationships and I was able to let go," shared Baumler.
It only took a week's worth of kindness to put the Maltby Cafe on a different path, making it a demonstration of what's possible through hope, generosity, and love.
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