'Tips for Tots' Fundraiser at Greene Turtle

On Dec. 11, employees at 19 Greene Turtle locations throughout the region, including Westminster, will hold their seventh annual “Tips for Tots” campaign. Employees will combine their gratuities and then hit the stores to purchase gifts for underprivileged children.

Corlie Brice, a bartender at The Greene Turtle in Salisbury, Md. came up with the selfless idea for “Tips for Tots” after arriving for her shift one cold December night in 2006 and noticing that a neighboring business had been designated as a “Toys for Tots” drop-off site according to a news release. Brice decided to use whatever tips she took in that evening to purchase toys for the program, and enlisted fellow employees in the campaign. By the end of her shift, she and fellow bartender Chris Tingle had collected $700, an amount that went even farther when the manager of a nearby Ollie’s Bargain Outlet offered Brice a discount on her purchases once she explained her intentions.

The program has since become an annual tradition at the Salisbury site, and in recent years employees at other locations throughout the 34-unit chain have been inspired to follow suit according to the release. Last year, 10 Greene Turtle locations participated in the drive. This year, the initiative has spread to nearly twice that many locations.

As it has in recent years, The Greene Turtle also announced that its corporate offices will once again add $500 to the donations for each restaurant that raises a minimum of $1,000 in tips on Dec. 11. 

“We are very proud that this independently established program has been so warmly embraced by our employees, and continues to expand throughout our growing system,” says Bob Barry, President/CEO of The Greene Turtle.