While a crowd chanted “Send her back!” about a Somali-born congresswoman at President Donald Trump’s rally Wednesday, a restaurant down the street was calculating its sales for the night to donate to an immigrant aid group.
The Scullery has been serving breakfast and coffee in Greenville, North Carolina, for eight years, owner Matthew Scully said. On Wednesday night, it served more than 500 people and raised more than $5,600 for the American Immigration Council to counterbalance the president and his supporters’racist and xenophobic rhetoric.
“The President’s visit started to stir up some negative feelings in our community, and we wanted to make a statement of positivity about how special our community is,” Scully told CNN. “(Greenville) is a diverse place full of all kinds of different people. All that diversity makes our city a better place.”
Scully said he chose to donate to a group helping to relieve the immigration and border crisis because he has three children.
“Just thinking about the little kids and the struggle they’re facing and the trauma they’re experiencing, I wanted to find an organization that would be helpful to them,” he said.
He added that he was disappointed to hear about the “Send her back!” chants at the rally.
“Industry, agriculture, our culture in general, our food culture is made stronger, better and more interesting by immigrant culture,” Scully said. “To hear those sentiments come from my community was really discouraging.”
The American Immigration Council thanked The Scullery for its pledged donation.
“We are so thankful for The Scullery and the town of Greenville, North Carolina. Their generosity is a shining example of what we know lives in many communities across the country,” Megan Hess, fundraising and development director, said in a statement.
“Our hope is that more stories like this get lifted up to show that the welcoming spirit is alive and well in America. We are so proud that they are part of the Council family.”
