Officer Bill Clardy III frequented Farm Burger, a local restaurant in his Alabama town, several times a week. When Bill was killed in the line of duty, Farm Burger knew they wanted to step in and help his family. That’s when they got the idea to donate 15% of a day’s sales to their Clardy family.
“The day before this happened he got the number one Farm Burger,” said Farm Burger’s general manager Tara Ledwell in footage provided by WHNT19. She believed it was his favorite. “It must have been,” she said. “He liked it.”
The Huntsville police officer was shot and killed on December 6, 2019. Farm Burger felt that the initiative gave the entire community an opportunity to honor Bill’s service and sacrifice.
“It was just overwhelming in how many people wanted to give,” Tara said. The restaurant raised $1,850. They turned that money over to the Huntsville Police Citizens Foundation, who’ll pass it on to the Clardy family.
HPCF program director Leslie Freeman spoke to the financial stress that falls on families during these times. “Benefits can take a few months to even a year up to get to the family,” she noted. “So it’s not instantaneous.”
Leslie knows from experience. She lost her husband, Officer Eric Freeman, in 2007 when he was shot and killed during a traffic stop. “Understanding that someone else has been in their shoes [the Clardy family] I’m hoping is a help,” Leslie said.
The HPCF will continue collecting donations for the Clardy family.
Source : https://www.littlethings.com/local-restaurant-donates/