Unexpected thank-you for local service workers

University of Idaho student Cameron Kaminski is working on a school project that will provide a handful of Moscow service workers with a nice surprise this weekend.

Kaminski has partnered with nonprofit Big Table of Spokane to plan an “Unexpected 20s” event, during which $20 bills in envelopes will be given to employees at five Moscow hotels Saturday and Sunday.

“I knew what they were about. I knew that it was a good nonprofit,” Kaminski said about approaching Big Table. “So I just thought about, ‘How can I incorporate this into my academic service project?’ ”

Kaminski is a junior studying mechanical engineering. He is organizing the event as part of a project for his operations management class. Kaminski said one project students had to plan was a service project.

Big Table is a nonprofit which focuses on restaurant and hospitality workers in crisis. The organization offers help to those in the restaurant and hospitality industry to provide support in times of need.

It was founded in 2009 and has locations in San Diego and Nashville, but the Spokane location is the headquarters. The Spokane location has also served the Palouse since July 2021.

Meredith Brown, the Palouse care coordinator, said Big Table personalizes the help they give to each person based on their needs and can range from rent assistance, housing, transportation or health care. After the immediate care is completed, Brown said they keep in contact with each person.

“While we help in the short term, we want to build a community,” Brown said.

Kaminski reached out to Big Table about planning a “care blitz” in Moscow. To do this, he needed to gather volunteers. He and his classmates gathered volunteers through word-of-mouth, and has secured help from members of the track and field team, Greek houses and church groups.

Brown said the volunteers will hand out the envelopes to employees who are working and some extra will be left for the employees who were not at work. While Big Table and Brown have put on other blitzes, this is the first in Moscow.

The blitz is planned during a weekend when Moscow service workers will be busy thanks to Idaho’s home football game Saturday against University of California – Davis.

More information about Big Table can be found at big-table.com.

Nelson can be reached at knelson@dnews.com.