A Jersey Shore restaurant is rallying around one of its own following a devastating fire just weeks before Christmas. An annual effort to assist others in need took a change in course this year.
Helping others has become a holiday tradition at the Delaware Avenue Oyster House in Long Beach Township.
“We decided to have a giving tree where people can make a donation and they receive an ornament," Oyster House owner Toby Sweeney said.
The ornaments are handmade and being sold for just $15 each.
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For the last two years, the restaurant has given the money from the sales to non-profits, but this year the money will be going to one of their own.
Ryen Bengough is a bartender at the Delaware Avenue Oyster House and the home he shared with roommate Max Watters caught on fire back on December 3rd.
Officials said that a hot water heater is what sparked the flames.
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So, the restaurant's Giving Tree donations will help Ryen and Max recover and get back on their feet.
"I was just so like, grateful and humbled. Like, I didn't even know what to say. I was just like, 'Oh my gosh.' That is so nice. I didn’t expect it at all," Bengough told NBC10.
Some are giving more than just money, including a neighborhood right across the street. They're moving and plan to give all of the clothing that isn't going with them to Bengough and Watters.
"The first and most immediate thing to me is just how caring and wonderful this entire community has been in terms of offering support," Watters said. "They've stepped up more than I ever possibly could have imagined.”
Customers and the community are coming through during this season of giving.
