OK Cafe Employee Fundraiser Tops $55,000

Employees at a Buckhead restaurant who have been put out of work by a major fire will have fewer worries this holiday season due to the generosity of the community.

100 staff at OK Cafe will be out of work for some time due to a fire which ravaged the restaurant on Dec. 7. It’s expected that repairs will keep the restaurant shuttered indefinitely.

To help the staff make it through the holiday season with as little financial hardship as possible, a fundraiser has been set up which will give 100 percent of the proceeds to the affected employees. The initial goal for the fundraiser was $25,000, but as of Monday afternoon it has generated $55,680 for OK Cafe’s staff.

Over $17,000 has been donated to the fund since Thursday, when Patch last gave a report on the campaign.

Fundraiser organizer John McColl said that after the initial goal was met, he hoped that donations would double and top the $50,000 mark. With that goal now reached, it’s unclear how much longer the fundraiser will run.