Eggsmart restaurant on Innisfil Beach Road held a fundraiser over the weekend in honour of South Simcoe police constables Morgan Russell and Devon Northrup who were both tragically killed in the line of duty last month while attending a call in Alcona.
The Innisfil Eggsmart franchisees Jevan Bala, Suba Rasanathan, and Viji Rasanathan together with the franchiser decided to donate 100 per cent of all sales on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, to the families of the officers.
“We’re here to support them ... for this great cause,” said the director of operations of Eggsmart, Robert Maniccia. “Eggsmart is a big part of the local community.”
“It was heartbreaking listening to every sentence they (the news stories on the incident) said. Honestly, I couldn’t sleep,” Suba said. “I was really affected.”
Their customers watched the news as updates on the incident poured in and Suba could see that it impacted them as well.
“Every time they would talk, they would tear up," she said.
Eggsmart customer, Dean Treasure, offered his condolences to the families and provided thoughts on the tragedy before he and his daughter enjoyed their breakfast on Saturday.
“My first thoughts are with the loss of a person in a very tragic way and the hardship that produces for the family and friends and the loved ones around them,” he said.
“I respect our police and we need them to support our community and to keep our environment and our community safe," said Treasure.
“Events like this make me further realize what an amazing community we live in,” added Mayor Lynn Dollin. “Honouring our fallen officers, while incredibly sad, does bring our community closer together and it is heartwarming to see so many residents come together to pay their respect. A special thank you to Eggsmart for organizing this event which allows us to find ways to grieve together but to also demonstrate that we are a community, and we stand together.”
Eggsmart is well-known in the community, with the current owners taking over and re-opening their location in May of this year.
“We wanted to be in a small community,” Bala said when he explained why the three co-franchisees and family members moved away from the city more than a decade ago. “At the end of the day, we cannot undo what happened, but at least, the only thing (we have) as a business obviously is money and financial support, that’s what we can provide.”
