CAIRO, Ga. (WTXL) — Jennifer Outwater recently moved to Cairo to open a restaurant, Blue Bistro at Braisington Place, and was two weeks away from opening before the tornado hit.
She took shelter inside during the tornado, and felt the building move off the foundation. But now she's using the resources left behind to help her community.
"The kitchen was still operational, which was a big deal that we still had gas, and that we didn't have a gas leak, and that we still had water. So we decided on Sunday night, 'all right, listen. Tomorrow we're going to get together with IGA and make sure, because they're going to lose all their food. Let's see what we can do," said Outwater, Chef and owner of local restaurant.
Outwater wasted no time trying to help feed those who needed it most.
Nearly 1,000 plates of food have left these doors, with meals ranging from pork to pasta to chicken. But for Outwater, giving back to the community is so much bigger than her restaurant.
"When you do something like this, you do it because you just genuinely love the people without a care about the return that's going to come back to you," said Outwater.
None of this would be possible without help from volunteers. While some live in Cairo, others came in from Thomasville to help deliver food to those who are unable to leave their homes.
"It was the right thing to do. God touched my heart and I just though about if that had been myself or my family in need, I just feel like somebody would have done the same thing," said Thomasville resident Charles Edwards.
Although Tuesday night is the last night that Outwater and the volunteers will be providing food, those that WTXL spoke to said that they will be more than willing to continue giving back if the need arises again.
Outwater did tell WTXL that contractors are expected to come out Wednesday to assess the building damage.
No word yet on when Blue Bistro will be able to open.
