Coffee shop run by developmentally disabled adults is bombarded with protestors and angry reviews after viral video of fundraiser where high school students licked toes for charity

An Oklahoma coffee shop built to employ adults with developmental disabilities faced backlash after accepting donations from a high school fundraiser that featured students licking adults’ toes.

Not Your Average Joe was founded in Oklahoma City in 2019 by Tim Herbel to celebrate his cousin, who had cerebral palsy and died at age 11.

They have found themselves in controversy after accepting money from Deer Creek High School, which hosts an annual “Wonderful Week of Fundraising” event that includes a bizarre activity in which students licked peanut butter off adults’ toes.

In the video, half of the participants sat down with their feet spread out in front of them, while the other half of the less fortunate children lay on the floor of the school gymnasium and licked the feet of their peers.

The video of the event went viral, leading to a backlash against the coffee shops and harassing phone calls to employees.

“They call our stores and our friends with special needs usually answer the phone and they are called names and pedophiles,” Herbel said. The Oklahoman.

Not Your Average Joe was founded in Oklahoma City in 2019 by Tim Herbel to celebrate his cousin, who had cerebral palsy and died at age 11

Ultimately, the school raised $152,830.38 for the coffee shop, some of which will go toward hiring more developmentally disabled employees and opening a second location, but the backlash against the store was tough on Herbel.

‘One star reviews from across the country. We are not this well-funded machine that has all these dollars. We’re getting beat up. The children are being beaten up.’

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The video was quickly attacked by many, including conservatives like Senator Ted Cruz, who called it “child abuse.”

Oklahoma Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters promised they would get to the bottom of the situation. The district has promised the clash will end.

“This is disgusting,” Walters said in a statement. “We’re cleaning up this mess in Oklahoma schools. Our office is investigating.”

The students selected Not Your Average Joe as their benefactor for the year, sparking outrage at the store.

The coffee shop has found itself in controversy after accepting money from Deer Creek High School, which hosts an annual “Wonderful Week of Fundraising” event that featured a bizarre activity where students appeared to lick peanut butter off adults’ toes.

‘One star reviews from across the country. We are not this well-funded machine that has all these dollars. We’re getting beat up. The children are being beaten up,” founder Herbel (photo) said about his reaction

In a statement, the Oklahoma School District claimed the video was part of a “Clash of Classes” event that students paid for to raise money. Officials said no school faculty or staff participated, although they did not clarify who did, other than the students

“The kids did their best and this one thing didn’t go the way they expected,” he said. The children meant well and those are the people who ultimately suffer from it,” Herbel said.

The school district disputed some of the claims made online about the event and the toe-licking activity.

“We would like to emphasize to our community that much of the information included in this video is inaccurate,” they said.

“However, with this particular game, we have failed to uphold the dignity of our students and the proud image of our community. We have a responsibility to protect our antlers and show them in a positive light. With regard to this one specific activity, we have fallen short and for that we sincerely apologize.”