Pastor talks about fundraiser to support Bob’s Burgers owners

BELLS, Tenn. — A local church is raising money for a family in need.

Early Tuesday morning, a staple of the Bells community went ablaze in a massive fire.

The restaurant called Bob’s Burgers, in the middle of the town, had been in business for 15 years. The fire reduced the building to rubble and has been considered a total loss.

“We’re a close-knit community, and there was several here. Several people were just reaching out to him, wanting to do all we could for Bob and Jennie. And we got back to church, here, and we were just brainstorming. How can we help this family? What can we do to assist them?” said Bells First Baptist Church Pastor Mark Wade.

After learning about the tragic fire, Bells First Baptist Church has created a fundraiser to support owners, Bob and Jennie O’Donnell.

The fundraiser will invite the community to come together with donations and burgers on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bells First Baptist Church. There is no cover charge. However, the church hopes people will donate as much as possible.

Wade says a burger at the restaurant ranged from $7 to $10.

“We know that everyone knows that, and we’re hoping that people will give at least a $10 bill for a burger. And then, exponentially, above that as people are able. We’re not charging anything and we, you know, there may be some people that come through and they’re not able to give and that’s quite alright,” Wade said.

Church officials say that because O’Donnell and his business were such a fundamental part of the town, they want to surround the O’Donnells with as much love as possible.

With this fundraiser, the church hopes that the money will allow the O’Donnells to have money to live off during this time of need.

“There’s no stipulation for how they use these finances that come in. We want them to use it personally, but we also want them to use it if they need to use it for their business to get it back on its feet. Whatever they need,”

Wade says Bob’s Burgers was most loved for its buns. So they made sure they ordered the special buns that Bob used in his recipe. The beef was supplied to the church by two different places, the local Food Rite and Tate Family Foods in Murray City.

“I think that’s so vitally important, that we all come together. No matter what your religious background is, what your ethnic background is, there’s no, we all are going to come together just to fellowship, have a meal together, and just enjoy being together, and to know that that’s what this community is about,”

If you are driving through to get your burgers, you can text “Burgers” and how many you would like to (731) 617-0988.

You can also order online here.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family of Bob’s Burgers. You can find it here.

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