Kountry Kitchen collects almost $20k in donations for employees after fire

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Dozens of volunteers stood along North College Avenue and 19th Street in the cold holding red buckets to raise money for 20 employees out of work after a Jan. 11 fire at Kountry Kitchen.

“When you think about the weather and you think about what you’re doing in the weather and then the cause is much greater than how cold you are,” said donation drive coordinator Amp Harris.

Volunteers were flagging down drivers and whoever walked by the Kountry Kitchen.

“When you have a restaurant, a lot of it is based on our tips, because the minimum wage here in Indiana is low and so because of that, this is to try to help them until we rebuild,” said Regina Marsh, donation drive coordinator.

The building remains intact, but there’s extensive damage inside. Marsh said insurance is covering the repairs, but volunteers hope the community shares their support for the employees.

“They’re all looking for jobs, they’re all trying to get help and we know people are out here hungry and needy, but we want to keep helping the folks that help others,” Marsh added. “They all volunteer at Christmas time when we feed 3,000 people and they’ve given back and we want to support them.”

On Tuesday afternoon, the donation drive had raised just under $20,000.

Co-owner Cynthia Wilson said the restaurant will be back open in six to nine months.

“This was a community place where we convened, where we met, where we planned, where we ate and where we spent time together,” Marsh said.

Wilson also told News 8 that she is building an event center next door in the near future.