Danelle Gainey planned to help families and children in need over the upcoming holiday season. But now that a fire has devastated her pizzeria, she said her employees need assistance, too.
The blaze gutted parts of Sophia’s Pizzeria in Hartsville, South Carolina, this past weekend. It reportedly broke out after midnight on Sunday; the building was empty at the time, so no one was hurt.
But the fire will take a different toll on her 14 employees, Gainey said in a heartbreaking interview with WBTW. She considers them family and is worried about how they will get by while the pizzeria is closed down, possibly for as long as six months.
“Unemployment only pays 80% of their average paycheck, and they’re not going to make their tips,” she told WBTW. “Anybody that has been a server knows that’s where you really make your money—it’s your tips.”
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Gainey took over ownership of Sophia’s Pizzeria last year, although the restaurant has been in business since 2014. She announced the fire in a Facebook post early on Sunday morning, noting, “It’s real bad. Y’all just be patient with us and pray real hard for me and my Sophia’s family.”
The post prompted an outpouring of moral support for Gainey and her business.
One example of Gainey’s dedication to the people of Hartsville: Just a few days earlier she announced on Facebook that Sophia’s Pizzeria would be closed on November 30 to take part in the city’s annual Toys for Tots Ride fundraiser. The restaurant was also a drop-off spot for Toys for Tots.
“We had a lot of big plans for our community,” a teary-eyed Gainey said in the WBTW interview. “It’s Christmas. We were going to adopt a family, and now I’m having to reach out for someone to adopt my people and their families.”
She added, “Anybody that knows me knows I like being in control, and I think this is why it’s testing me so bad, because I can’t do anything.”
Gainey posted photos that illustrated the severe damage to her restaurant’s interior. “The most painful thing was to take my kids through the building today and see them overwhelmed with emotions,” she wrote. “They have grown to love Sophia’s and what it stands for! We have put so much time, love and effort into this building. This is very painful.”
The Hartsville Fire Department reportedly arrived at the restaurant at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday after getting a report of smoke coming from the building. “The contents of the building were lost,” Fire Chief Ricky Flowers told WDPE. “The actual building is OK. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done if they were to reopen, which we sure hope that they do, but the inside of it is pretty ravaged.”
The fire was initially ruled accidental, although it’s still under investigation.
Fred McDaniel, pastor of nearby Wesley United Methodist Church, told WMBF that the fire was “definitely an economic blow and an emotional blow for [those of] us who live and work here. We all wish them the very best in rebuilding and getting re-established in some way.”
Just hours after the fire, Gainey was giving away free food from her refrigerator and freezer. “I know times are hard, and [the food’s] gonna go bad,” she wrote. “Message me, and anyone that needs food, we can work out a time and [you] can meet me there and you [can] have it. No charge! I would rather it help someone!”
