INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) – More much needed help is on the way to get the owners of a longtime popular restaurant back on their feet.
Ever since Kountry Kitchen Soul Food Place got hit by fire, the Hoosier hospitality has been beyond helpful.
Their latest donation is thanks to Indianapolis and Carmel area businessman Charles McNally and his wife. They learned about the fire on the news and wanted to help.
“I thought about the families and their coworkers,” McNally said. “I just thought these guys were in desperate need and I just thought I wanted to see if I could help in any way."
The help from McNally and his wife is huge and even more so unexpected by the restaurant owners.
The couple organized for commercial kitchen equipment worth thousands of dollars, which couldn't come at a better time.
Kountry Kitchen owners Cynthia and Isaac Wilson expressed gratefulness from day one of the fire.
“It's hard to say how much we appreciate it because it's so devastating the things that happened like they did," Isaac said.
On Jan. 11, firefighters found Kountry Kitchen engulfed in flames. The interior photos showed the devastating damage to the entire restaurant including the dining area, office and the kitchen where the magic happened for years.
The Kountry Kitchen became a "must stop" for celebrities, high profile politicians and more importantly to the owners local people who supported them as customers on a regular basis.
The emotional impact of the fire for the owners made Charles want to support them by showing the unexpected donation.
“We are just so glad people are supporting us because this is rough, this is rough," Cynthia said.
McNally eventually invited Isaac and Cynthia to visit the site of the kitchen equipment being donated to their business. The donation includes everything from commercial sinks, stoves, serving tables and more.
“She came over and she was ecstatic,” McNally said. “She was extremely happy that we were able to donate all this stuff for her."
Even with the huge donation to Kountry Kitchen in the works, McNally is counting on others in the business community.
“Step up and chip in," McNally said. "They still need a lot of help."
McNally told Eyewitness News that now they need help moving the donated kitchen equipment to storage until the Kountry Kitchen building is ready.
Fire officials told Eyewitness News they believe it started in a downstairs office at the restaurant. The exact cause of the fire is still undetermined and foul play has been ruled out.