Staff at Joe’s Inn in Fan and Shields Market are used to the familiar swarm of students from William Fox Elementary filling their spaces and in light of the tragic fire at the neighborhood school, owner Tina Kafantaris said that they had found their own way to rally behind the community.
Through Friday, all kids who attend Fox Elementary will eat free at Joe’s Inn and they’ll get free candy when they go to Shields Market, Kafantaris said. She said it was their way of giving the Fox community something to cheer for.
“Our relationship with Fox has been so long,” Kafantaris said. “All my children went there, people who worked in the restaurant or at the market took their children there. We know all the children and we know all the families.
Kafantaris said his family is part of the 70-year-old restaurant located at 205 N. Shields Ave. since the 1970s. They acquired the nearby Shields Market at 206 N. Shields Ave. in 2008. Meanwhile, she said Fox kids fill the stores every day after school.
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After losing that familiar sound when the COVID-19 pandemic began, Kafantaris feels like it lost that routine again after the fire. She said every business owner she spoke to jumped at the chance to help the kids they saw and talked to every day.
“I think everyone is going to participate in this,” Kafantaris said. “While we’re trying to find longer-term fundraising right now, our goal is just to give the kids something to cheer on.”
While Kafantaris helps out on Shields Avenue at Scott’s Addition, owners of Longoven at 2939 W. Clay St. have also been hit by the tragedy at Fox Elementary. On the night of the fire, co-owner Patrick Phelan said his staff discussed where they could best help the community.
“My business partner Andrew – his two kids go to Fox,” Phelan said, referring to Andrew Manning, his business partner and executive chef at the restaurant. “His children live a few blocks from the school. …we actually drove up to the fan and kind of witnessed what was going on.
Phelan said the natural inclination of him and his business partners was to say, “What can we do to support the Fox community?” As he began pitching different ideas to his staff, Phelan said they saw a bigger opportunity to help the community.
“We saw an opportunity to not just do something for Fox, but we had a pretty big idea like, why not do a fundraiser for every elementary school in Richmond?” Phelan said.
Phelan, his wife, Megan Phelan, and Manning decided to host a series of 25 dinners in support of all elementary schools in Richmond.
Once the food and staff costs are paid, 100% of the sales will go to the school. For the first dinner, guests will pay what they can, what they’d like to contribute to the school, or what they think the experience was worth, Phelan said, which ultimately has an immediate impact on schools. of Richmond.
Their inaugural five-course dinner will be for Fox Elementary on March 3. All places are already reserved.
“I think for us as a company, we’re starting to pivot in a direction where we’re integrated into our community,” Phelan said. “It’s something we could do once a month as a company as part of a sustained effort to provide immediate and very targeted capital to our schools.”
For Phelan, the Fox Elementary fire fundamentally changed the way he thinks about his business. The students, families, and teachers at Fox inspired him to push forward with an idea he thought was important. He hopes Longoven’s mission will also inspire others.
“I think the important thing is if you’re inspired to do it, you put the fear aside and go for it,” Phelan said. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”
More Richmond Restaurant and Bakery Fundraisers:
LGerman@timesdispatch.com
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