Iowa community comes together to surprise barista with car

FORT DODGE, Iowa (KCCI) - A barista in Iowa was treated to a surprise thanks to the generosity of his community and the power of social media.

Dan and Linette Nelson said Taylor Bratland, a barista at a Starbucks in Fort Dodge, helped them pick something out they would like, and left a strong impression on them by making a fun pun that made them laugh.

“Then, when he gave us our drinks and we were walking away, he yells like ‘Oh yeah! Have a grande!’ like the grande drink. And I was giggling, it made my night so much,” Linette Nelson said.

The couple posted on Facebook about meeting him, only to learn Bratland has a lot of fans. They also learned he had been walking to and from work during the winter.

That’s when the community in Fort Dodge came together to surprise Bratland with a car.

“We just wanted to let you know that you’re an amazing person and the community recognizes that, and so we bought you a car!”

Bratland says he was surprised by how many people came together to make this happen, but, he wasn’t surprised by how kind the community is.

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