King’s Head Pub fundraiser hits $45,000
A beloved Exchange District pub is at the heart of a fundraiser started by its customers.
The King’s Head Pub, like many businesses during the pandemic, has struggled as public health orders have reduced operating days and capacities.
To help,fundraiser organizers Kim Wheeler and Natalie Ballentyne asked pub patrons to donate what their average tab would be.
“It had been closed off and on since March of 2020, and then with reduced capacity we just knew they were in trouble,” said Wheeler.
For Wheeler the pub is a special place. Staff attended her wedding, and her daughter got her first job there. She said it’s the welcoming and inclusive atmosphere that draws regulars and different social groups together.
“There are people there I know that would never be friends with me or I would never be in their circles, but you walk through those doors everybody’s family,” Wheeler said.
After speaking to pub staff and owner Chris Graves, all of whom were expressing concern, she thought it was time to help.
So back in May, Wheeler and a friend set up a Go Fund Me page with an original goal of raising $10,000. Three weeks and $12,000 later donations had started to dwindle, with Wheeler thinking it was time to stop the fundraiser.
She didn’t. News of a potential pub closure may have spurred a new round of donations, with Sunday’s Go Fund Me total spiking to $45,000.
“Some people have donated $6 for a glass of beer and other people have been incredibly generous and have donated between $500-750 for a single donation,” said Wheeler.
Despite exceeding the fundraising goal Wheeler said the Go Fund Me will continue if people want to keep donating.
“After 15 months of less than 50 per cent capacity, 25 per cent capacity, completely closed, this barely scratches the surface,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.