O Town Ice Cream, Opelikans support first responders

By Morgan Bryce
Opelika Observer

The “Scoop it Forward” campaign at Opelika’s O-Town Ice Cream is making its experience even sweeter, one scoop at a time.
According to Angela George, co-owner, the idea for the campaign was sparked by one of their patrons.
“One of our customers bought a couple of scoops for his cousins who were coming by later that day, and asked if we’d write it down,” George said. “We put it on a board, and after looking at the board, I thought that having a board where people could buy and leave scoops for others would be a cool idea.”
Once word about the campaign spread, the board became more and more popular, with people buying scoops for family, friends or complete strangers. Looking for ways to fill the board, a dinner conversation with a family friend helped George find her answer.
“On the night of the Dallas shootings, my husband Chris and I were having dinner with some friends, one of whom is active military. He suggested that we offer it to active military and first responders, which I thought was a great idea considering all the tragedies that have been going on lately,” George said.
They implemented the promotion two weeks ago, and since then, more than 100 scoops have been donated to active military and first responders.
“At first, it kind of started off slow because they felt wrong not paying for their ice cream. But, now they have begun to accept it and are very appreciative,” George said. “By doing this, we want to show our local service men and women that we appreciate them, even if it’s as small as a scoop of ice cream.”
George said the board is just one small, positive aspect of a business that exists to serve as a gathering place for the community.
“This is a place where young kids come play card games, older people come and talk, and working people have business meetings,” George said. “We are here to serve Opelika, and be a gathering place for the community that welcomes anyone, regardless of race, religion or background. We want to make a difference.”