It Takes a Village presents check to UMCOR

When Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit Texas, Puerto Rico and other communities in the fall, owners and managers at La Paz Restaurant and Catering wanted to do something to help. So, La Paz manager Leah Harrigan called upon her fellow businesses to step up and donate a portion of their sales to charity.

Both the Crestline Village and Mt Laurel locations of La Paz, Mt Laurel's Area 41 Pizza Co., Mountain Brook Creamery, Mafiaoza's Otey's Tavern, Crestline's Taco Mama and Cahaba Village's Newk's Eatery participated under the name "It Takes a Village." Together, they raised $17,432.73.

"We're all so busy, but we're also a family," Harrigan said of restaurants participating in the fundraiser. Initially, her goal was to raise $15,000, and she was pleasantly surprised when they surpassed $17,000.

On Jan. 29, they presented a check to Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett, with the United Methodist Church as a part of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, or UMCOR. From there, the funds will be put "directly towards the people [affected]" and volunteers will be "on the ground" until everyone is helped.