Spaddy’s, Now And Then, team up to host hurricane Ian fundraiser in Seminole Heights next week

Next week, Spaddy's Coffee Co. celebrates seven years in Seminole Heights—but this particular anniversary party will offer a philanthropic twist.

Its fundraiser and anniversary shindig takes place on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m., and will be chock full of raffles, prizes, beer and coffee—that will all benefit South Florida's victims of hurricane Ian. The event takes place at Spaddy’s Seminole Heights courtyard at 5206 N Florida Ave., which is usually all closed up by 2 p.m. but staying open late for the event.

Demi Chacon and Davy Ball, two veteran baristas who run the Tampa-based specialty pop-up Now and Then, are teaming up with the Spaddy’s team to host next weekend’s fundraiser. When the duo approached owner Greg Spadaccini about it, he decided to merge his anniversary celebration with the upcoming charity event to increase turnout and donations.

There will be two different raffles for this fundraising campaign—a coffee-centric virtual one that will go live this Sunday, Oct. 16 at noon, and another that will take place in-person at next weekend’s event. In addition to raffle-entry donations, attendees are encouraged to bring supplies like non-perishable foods, water, batteries, hygiene products, construction materials and cleaning supplies.

Every barista's favorite non-dairy milk brand Oatly will also match donations raised up to $7,000, in addition to donating several palettes of shelf-stable milk directly to those in  Fort Myers.

Raffle tickets ($10 each) can be purchased via Current Initiatives' website, a local nonprofit known for its Laundry Project. You can place donations through this link, and then email [email protected] a screenshot of your receipt and tell them what prizes you'd like your contributions to go towards.

Folks that attend the event on Oct. 24 will also have to donate through Current Initiatives' website in order to bid on any of the in-person or virtual raffle items.

Folks can put their raffle tickets towards big ticket items virtually or in-person, but only guests at the event itself can bid on prizes from local Tampa Bay-based businesses, like Rooster & The Till, Eastlick Coffee Co. and Jug & Bottle.

Big ticket items include a Rancilio espresso machine (retailed at $2,000), Eureka Atom 75 espresso grinder, Acaia scale, Etkin dripper and one hour class of your choice via Atlas Coffee Importers.

Winners for the virtual raffle will be announced on Now and Then's Instagram at @nowandthencoffee on Oct. 24 at 1 p.m.

Chacon, Ball, and Spadaccini will be heading down to Fort Myers themselves to distribute money and supplies directly to those affected by hurricane Ian. Some funds will go to the South Florida branch of Current Initiatives' Laundry Project, but the Tampa coffee veterans will team up with the folks from Fort Myers-based Shift Coffee Bar to distribute the rest of the donations.

For the latest updates on this charity event, head to Now and Then's website or Instagram at @Nowandthencoffee. More details—like the beer and food that will be available at next week's fundraiser—will be announced as the event nears closer.