YORK, Pa. — The phone call early Sunday morning was no one’s idea of a good Christmas present.
“You aren’t anticipating [it]," said Christine Dyke, manager of Prince Street Café York.
Dyke's business was almost entirely flooded after a pipe burst on the third floor of the Rupp Building, in which it’s located.
"When [I] show[ed] up to see it raining on the inside, that was, a shock,” said Dyke.
Last weekend’s deep freeze led to burst pipes in homes and businesses alike across central Pennsylvania.
When Dyke arrived at the shop, water was gushing out from under the front door.
“There was a spot in the back that was fine, but there was water everywhere else,” she said.
The café will be closed for at least a week and a half, according to Dyke.
Many of the location’s 14 employees, though, aren’t taking that time off. Instead, they’re volunteering for local organizations.
On Wednesday a group of employees volunteered with Friends and Neighbors of Pennsylvania, a nonprofit that offers outreach to unsheltered people in York.
“Especially with some organizations that actually come into the café and we see them working and walking on the streets,” said Ben Igo, who usually works at Prince Street Café. “Unfortunately the water break gave us a week off, and so we had a chance to then pair up with them and help hand out different items to some of the homeless population here.”
Prince Street Café’s owner, Commons Company, is a benefit organization, also known as a "B Corp." In this case, it means employees are paid for some of their volunteer hours.
The employees also plan to volunteer Thursday at a local recycling facility.