AMount Gambier small business owner is reaching out to the community to help alleviate the financial blow being experienced by a group of hospitality employees who have recently lost their jobs.
Confession owner Sam Johnston is asking the community to make a donation to the 18 Sorrentos staff lost their jobs last week, without receiving their last pay cheques.
The popular Bay Road café went into liquidation on October 15.
In response, Mr Johnston took to social media asking the community to join him in “making something good come from a shitty situation”.
“When one goes down it affects us all as an industry, and no one likes to see an iconic Mount Gambier venue close its doors for the last time,” he said.
“We as a community and an industry often use the term ‘we are all in this together’.
“These are comforting words when times are tough, as they are for us all right now, but as beaten as we all are feeling, the harsh truth is that 18 locals lost an income with little to no notice.
“It could not have come at a worse time being so close to Christmas.
“This is a crushing blow that words of support do little to soften, as we all know those bills keep coming.
“If we could as a collective, we would employ them all but sadly this will not happen for all of them, not straight away at least.”
Mr Johnston said he had asked himself what he could do instead to help.
“To those of you who saw the post and commented, to those of you who frequented Sorrentos, to all those who will miss their favourite Sorrentos staff member, I ask you to join me and my amazing crew in doing what we can to get them some way towards that last pay cheque they never received,” he said.
A jar is currently placed on the counter of his café for donations, which he will match dollar-for-dollar.
“With the help of my amazing crew we have kicked it off with $300,” Mr Johnston said.
“Please remember no amount is too big or small and every cent will be handed to a representative of the Sorrentos crew … just the decent thing to do for an industry on its knees.”
