Donations help Raleigh restaurant looted in riot repair damage

Between the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the looting that occurred during recent riots in Raleigh, small businesses and nonprofits downtown are struggling to survive. But one nonprofit got a gift Wednesday to help get back on its feet.

Posted 5:49 p.m. Jun 10, 2020 — Updated 7:40 p.m. Jun 10, 2020

Amanda Lamb

, WRAL reporter

RALEIGH, N.C. — Between the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the looting that occurred during recent riots in Raleigh, small businesses and nonprofits downtown are struggling to survive. But one nonprofit got a gift Wednesday to help get back on its feet.

Carroll's Kitchen, a cafe on East Martin Street, gives jobs to women trying to escape domestic abuse, facing homelessness or dealing with other crises. The restaurant recently reopened after closing during the pandemic when a May 30 march to protest the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis turned violent. Marchers smashed the eatery's front windows, and a number of people came inside to steal things and set fires.

Vicky Ismail, co-founder of Carroll's Kitchen, said the security video was difficult to watch.

"It's hard to see humanity at its worst," Ismail said Wednesday, adding that the video also captured moments of humanity at its best. "We had two fires put out here, and if it wasn't for those people who saw something and did something, who knows? Our building could have gone down."

"There was a lot of devastation. For me, walking in as a volunteer, it was odd to me to feel like my home had been broken into and ransacked," said Joseph Baldree, a Carroll's Kitchen volunteer.

"It was very heartbreaking just to see everything broken up," said Teresa McNair, who started working at Carroll's Kitchen in 2017, after she was released from prison.

"I've built relationships, lifelong relationships, with people who believed in me even when I didn't even believe I could do something myself, McNair said.

That sense of community is helping Carroll's Kitchen recover from the lows it has endured in recent months.

Baldree said so many people showed up to help clean up after the riot that he had to turn some away.

"If the people who broke the windows and set the place on fire were looking for division, they didn't get that. They didn't win," he said.

Now, donations are pouring in to help the restaurant rebuild. On Wednesday, Brightway Insurance handed Ismail a check for $2,000.

Independent insurance agent Maz Ganim committed through the Brightway Gives Back campaign to donating $5 to Carroll's Kitchen for every insurance quote The Ganim Agency provided in April and May.

"This makes us weep for joy because people see the women, see the mission, cheer for them," Ismail said. "This is what's beautiful. This is what's good."

Carroll's Kitchen has remained open after the looting and vandalism, and Ismail said every single donation has helped them get back on their feet. She said she believes the restaurant can overcome the obstacles with the community's help.

"[It's the] power of community. We couldn't be we're at if it was not community," McNair said.

Suggest A Correction