On Sunday, March 26th, the American Diner in West Reading opened its doors to patrons at 7am – gearing up for one of their busiest days of the week – starting with Sunday brunch.
Their mission this Sunday, however, was a little different. They announced over the weekend in the aftermath of the tragedy at the R.M. Palmer Company that all of the diner’s profits on Sunday would be donated to relief efforts.
They worked nonstop as the greater West Reading Community gathered in great numbers to show their support, gather with loved ones, and mourn those that lost their lives in Friday’s tragedy.
Restaurant owner, Sarah Hassan said, “As soon as our family learned of the explosion, we wanted to do something to contribute. Our family has been part of the West Reading community for generations. This is the least that we can do by donating our profits today to relief efforts for all of those in our community that have been working tirelessly to save lives.”
Hassan continued, “it was heartbreaking to see a tragedy like this affect the West Reading community, but so heartwarming to see crowds of community members, local businesses, friends and family of victims, and dozens of R.M. Palmer Company current and former employees gather at the Diner to show their support. We are so proud to be part of this caring community. The amount of support we saw on Sunday blew us away. We are all one West Reading family.”
The American Diner plans to split up the $3,600 raised by distributing $900 to each of the following four organizations: West Reading Fire Department, West Reading Police Department, Western Berks Ambulance Association, and the Berks County Community Foundation’s West Reading Disaster Recovery Fund.
The American Diner staff and family sends their thoughts, prayers, and deepest condolences to all involved in this tragedy.
