Tallahassee unites to save Backwoods Crossing after devastating flooding this month
Local businesses and community members have joined together to save Backwoods Crossing after the harsh April 10 rainstorms left many like the restaurant and farmland swarmed in a daunting three feet of water.
A GoFundMe started by Backwoods Crossing owners and brothers, Jesse and Tyler Rice has circulated on social media platforms including Facebook with people looking to show their support.
The good news: The owners have exceeded their initial goal of $25,000 with local supporters giving generous amounts to help restore the restaurant.
Red Elephant Pizza and Grill on Kerry Forest Parkway and Browns Kitchen on Capital Circle Northeast have joined community efforts to help the restaurant raise money to restore the farm, equipment loss, animal disclosures and any other physical damages sustained. It also will be used to compensate displaced employees.
Red Elephant Pizza and Grill is hosting a fundraiser Wednesday, April 24. It will be donating 25% of the sales made from dine-in and to-go orders to Backwoods Crossing.
Joining in on the fundraising efforts was a "no brainer," owner John Schrowang said. "I felt like that was the best avenue for me to really make an impact and raise the most funds, opening my restaurant up to the community and seeing what impact we can make," he said.
The restaurant offers a variety of meals to delight in from pizzas to pastas, rice bowls, salads, sandwiches and burgers. The team is "excited" and hopes to have record sales, Schrowang said.
Red Elephant's fundraising efforts are met with Browns Kitchen, a storefront that offers cooking tools and entertainment for foodies. Browns Kitchen started their efforts April 16, with their annual "Knife Sharpening" fundraiser.
Local restaurants and residents have brought in bundles of their kitchen knives. Each knife will be sharpened for $5, with the proceeds given to Backwoods Crossing. As of Tuesday morning, the store has serviced 257 knives raising $1,285 to date.
In the past, the storefront typically hosts the sharpening fundraiser in September for Second Harvest's Hunger Action Month campaign. It has also hosted it for the Ronald McDonald's House Charities of Tallahassee.
Once the news circulated of the flooding and its impact to the restaurant, the store found a promising opportunity to help Backwoods that "just made sense," Browns Kitchen in-house chef and class coordinator, Brian McMullen said.
McMullen said he's seen people come back in multiple times brining their kitchenware in the store to support their efforts. "It's been really cool. We feel like the entire town is going to have sharp knives here in the next week because so many people are coming in," he said.
This is the most money Browns Kitchen has raised since they have started the "Knife Sharpening" fundraiser a few years ago. The fundraiser will continue until April 30.
If you go:
Red Elephant Pizza and Grill: 2910 Kerry Forest Parkway; Wednesday's fundraiser hours 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
Browns Kitchen: 2551 Capital Circle Northeast; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday to Friday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday
Kyla A Sanford covers dining and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ksanford@tallahassee.com. New restaurant opening up, special deals, or events coming up? Let me know!
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee unites to save Backwoods Crossing after recent flooding
