Georgia bar owner withdrew $ 3,714 in stapled bills to the walls to give to her unemployed staff

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(CNN) - Before the coronavirus pandemic, Jennifer Knox would walk into her bar and soak up the sounds of people chatting over drinks and listening to local musicians play their guitars.

Now his restaurant, The Sand Bar located on Tybee Island, Georgia, remains silent, with no customers or employees on-site.

Like many other restaurants, The Sand Bar had to close its doors after officials ordered homebound confinement and restaurants had to change their business with home delivery. The restrictions, put in place to help control the spread of the virus, also left businesses, including Knox's, in financial difficulties.

When he sat in his empty bar in late March and looked around, he realized there was an opportunity to help his now unemployed staff.

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"We were sitting there with the doors closed and it was like oh my gosh, 'there's money on the walls and we have free time," she told CNN, referring to the decor on the bar. "'We have to get this money back.'"

For nearly 15 years, customers have made their mark on the island's bar by writing on a dollar bill and stapling it on walls and ceilings. Knox just celebrated his sixth anniversary of owning the bar.

Knox, who worked as a waitress at the bar for seven years before owning it, now runs the bar with her mother, Pam Hessler.

"I can't sit here and do nothing," Knox said of the decision to withdraw the dollar bills to try to help his employees. "I will do what I can for my people."

Over the next three and a half days, five volunteers took on the tedious task of helping to gently remove the worn money. Some bills had dozens of staples, according to Knox. Some of the money came from countries around the world.

After the bills were removed, it took about a week and a half to clean and count them. In total, $ 3,714 was raised and the stacks of bills were stacked along the entire counter of the bar.

After hearing about Knox's act of retribution, several clients donated to the cause. In total, she was able to distribute $ 4,104 to her staff. Four waiters and two musicians each received $ 600, he said.

Tybee Island, one of Georgia's most popular vacation destinations, depends on beach lovers to keep the city's economy alive, which has a population of approximately 3,000 people.

Knox indicated that March was the start of his peak season coming out of winter. Now, like anywhere else, his business is on hold and Knox is uncertain of what the future holds.

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In the spirit of giving, one of the bartenders decided to donate his portion to another Tybee Island bartender. Knox wants to continue paying the service staff on the small island. Still collecting donations to distribute.

"We all take care of each other," he said. "We are all in this together".

Knox says he is hopeful that The Sand Bar will reopen when it's all over.

When customers return to a cold drink after relaxing on the beach, they will notice that a fresh coat of brightly colored paint replaced the wallpaper of the dollar bills.

While Knox is unsure whether the money's stapling on the walls will continue, she said she is thinking of a different plan for customers to make their mark.

coronavirus