Sackville, N.B. rallies around waitress after fire destroys restaurant – New Brunswick | 24CA News
Roxanne Vandewater, a waitress at Joey’s in Sackville, N.B., watched her livelihood go up in flames final week as fireplace destroyed the restaurant the place she’d labored for nearly 14 years.
“It was just devastating. I didn’t think the whole building was going to go down,” she mentioned in an interview on Friday.
Vandewater lives in an residence constructing throughout from the restaurant, and watched the hearth from her window.
The smoke engulfed a part of Sackville’s downtown, and several other fireplace departments have been known as in to struggle the blaze.
A pile of rubble is all that continues to be of the restaurant, and Vandewater is anxious about how she can pay her payments whereas on the lookout for her subsequent job.
Mount Allison University scholar Chloe Jackson lives in the identical residence constructing as Vandewater.
“I talked to her a few days after the fire,” Jackson mentioned. “She was quite upset and just explained the stuff she was going through.”
Inspired by a web based fundraiser set as much as assist college students displaced by the hearth, Jackson determined to start out one for Vandewater.
“I thought it would be good to ensure she had at least a few months rent to ensure her housing was secure,” Jackson mentioned.
The fundraiser shortly surpassed it’s $3,000 aim, with Sackville residents donating over $5,000.
Dianne Oulton was one of many contributors to the fundraiser.
Vandewater would serve her and her Rotary group at Joey’s every Thursday morning.
“She really looked after us and we love her,” Oulton mentioned.
Vandewater is hopeful she’s going to discover a new job quickly, however mentioned the cash was an enormous assist in guaranteeing her payments would receives a commission within the meantime, as EI premiums could be inadequate to cowl the prices.
“It’s very overwhelming and I appreciate everything from the bottom of my heart,” she mentioned.
Global News reached out to Joey’s administration and the Sackville Fire Department on Friday for remark.
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