Since the tragic events of last Tuesday, restaurants and stores across campus have been rallying to help out with relief efforts.
The attack on America has mobilized many local entrepreneurs to provide support and aid to organizations such as the American Red Cross.
From simply putting up American flags in their windows to holding major fundraising events, many campus retail establishments are hurrying to do their part.
"I think it's the right thing to do," local Gap manager Jason Smith said. "During times like these, we need to do what we can to help our country."
According to Smith, his Gap store and others in nearby districts are putting on a drive to collect clothes, canned foods, and other necessities for the Red Cross, to which Gap has donated an initial $400,000 worth of clothing.
Similarly, Urban Outfitters has their own collection box, and restaurants in the Moravian Cafes are all supporting a drive called "Operation Brotherly Love," which is also collecting various necessities to send to New York.
Kinko's is donating free computer time to people with missing family members, so they can scan in pictures for CNN's "Reporting Missing" Web site.
Irish pub Blarney Stone will be holding a "Beef `n' Beer" event this Sunday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Blarney Stone is charging an entrance fee of $20 per head and giving all proceeds, including tips, to the American Red Cross.
"I think a lot of people are going to get behind it and come," Blarney Stone bartender Kevin Kearney said. "We've been trying to concentrate our efforts for this Sunday."
Kearney said Blarney Stone was aiming to rake in $7,000 or $8,000 on the event, for which they would have to attract between 300 and 400 people. In addition, local stores and breweries have donated prizes and kegs for the event.
Many establishments are also collecting monetary donations. Starbucks, on the corner of 34th and Walnut streets, has started a "September 11 Fund" under the name of "Starbucks Cares," which will donate its proceeds to the N.Y. Community Trust and the United Way. To kick off the fund, Starbucks Coffee Company has already donated $1 million.
Commerce Bank and Steve Madden have also set up collection areas in their locations.
"We're asking each person to donate," Steve Madden manager Nicki Willis said. "We had the American flags out there to support."
Willis noted, however, that many people ignored the collection jug and said "they don't care because they don't have family there."
But other campus restaurant and store owners have noticed a marked difference in their patrons' behavior and attitudes.
"We've had the TV tuned to CNN," Kearney said. "It's on the back of everyone's mind. It just seems like everyone's rallying around."
