From Sept. 6 to Sept. 12 the Green Bar located on Main St. in New Paltz donated 100% of proceeds from their “pink drink” to the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) Pro-Choice America in protest of Texas’ Heartbeat Bill.
The Heartbeat Bill went into effect on Sept. 1. The bill prohibits a woman to get an abortion after a heartbeat can be detected in the fetus – or roughly six weeks after conception. By that point in their pregnancy, most women do not know that they are pregnant. The law also states that private citizens can sue abortion providers and anyone involved in helping a woman obtain an abortion. There has been extensive public backlash from the bill, with many saying the new legislation is an attack on women’s rights and bodily autonomy.
Green Bar co-owners Danielle Wilson and Harrison Rhee are two members of the community who believe the law violates women’s rights.
“When I saw the Heartbeat Bill, my blood was boiling,” Wilson said. “Reading about all that stuff made me think, okay, I have a business with an audience now – I can jump on it and do something instead of letting my blood boil.”
In support of NARAL Pro-Choice America, Wilson and Rhee created the pink drink and vowed to donate 100% of proceeds to the organization. NARAL Pro-Choice America supports reproductive freedom for all bodies and has over 2.5 million members dedicated to securing these rights.
Throughout the week, Wilson said they had around 200 people order the “pink drink.” By the end of the week, the Green Bar had raised around $1,000 to donate.
“I thought it was only one little drink… but so many people came out in support,” Wilson said. “It was a pleasant surprise to see the number of men who came in and ordered the ‘pink drink.’”
The “pink drink” consisted of strawberries, pitaya, banana, pineapple juice and goji berries and was priced at $5 a cup.
“Rather than get the actual smoothie, some people came out to buy the smoothie but did not even want the smoothie, they wanted to support and donate to the cause,” Wilson said.
The fundraiser received nothing but positive feedback from the community.
“It was great,” Wilson said. “We didn’t get a single negative comment, it was all positive. Nobody made an anonymous post online – there was nothing.”
The Green Bar does not have any set plans for future fundraisers, but after the success of the “pink drink,” Wilson and Rhee are looking forward to the opportunity to host another.
Besides fundraisers, Green Bar is switching their hours. New store hours are Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m; Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m; and Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Green Bar will soon be introducing its fall menu on its Instagram page, @greenbarnp. Followers can expect the announcement sometime this week. Wilson also said that Green Bar will soon be introducing a new promotion for college students: $6 smoothies.
All further information and announcements will be available on their Instagram page.
