After severe flooding damaged his Auburn café, owner Karrar Hashem is channeling community support into action and donating supplies to neighbors impacted.
AUBURN, Wash. — Although floodwaters in Auburn are finally receding, many homeowners and business owners are still cleaning up the damage left behind, including the team at Lune To Go.
Owner Karrar Hashem says the flooding earlier this month caused tens of thousands of dollars in losses at his café on Auburn Way.
“All the equipment we have, all the fridges, freezers, espresso machines, they all don’t work,” Hashem said. “Everything has been underwater.”
Despite the devastation, Hashem is choosing to focus on giving back. After sharing the café’s flood damage on social media, community support poured in and with it, a new sense of purpose.
“Put emotions aside,” he said. “Let’s put our sadness and crying aside and go out in the community where we can help.”
Last Friday, Hashem and his team spent $500 on items local shelters said they needed most: socks, underwear, and gloves. They delivered the donations to residents at Copper Gate Apartments, one of the complexes forced to evacuate during the floods.
Kyle Wilson, who lives at the complex, said the gesture meant a lot.
“Actions speak louder than words,” Wilson said. “Small businesses that go out of their way to help people, that means a lot to me.”
For Hashem, it’s about community and staying hopeful through hardship.
“Stay strong. We’re going to get through this together,” he said.
It could take months for Lune To Go’s Auburn location to reopen, but Hashem says his four other cafés across western Washington remain open and serving customers.
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