Judy Enlow sat in a metal folding chair Saturday patiently waiting on her burger to finish cooking.
It was the least she could do for her pharmacist.
“Justin Clark is one of the best guys I’ve ever known,” Enlow said. “He’ll help you out any way he can. If we didn’t have a pharmacy here, we’d have to go to town (Columbus).”
Saturday marked a week since a fire gutted the inside of Caledonia Pharmacy on Main Street, leaving customers temporarily without an in-town option to get their medicine. But by lunchtime, Enlow had joined about 50 supporters queued in the pharmacy parking lot buying burgers, hot dogs and raffle tickets to help Clark get back on his feet.
By the time the seven-hour come-and-go fundraiser ended, it had raised about $6,000, organizer Mitch Bulley said.
Bulley owns Bulley’s Lodge, the butcher shop that opened about three years ago next door to the pharmacy. He and Clark became fast friends, he said, and they often do business with each other.
After the Oct. 18 fire, Bulley wanted to do something to help. When he started putting together the fundraiser, he easily found plenty of partners.
“It seems like all the small businesses in Caledonia came together,” Bulley said. “It was a group effort. It’s been great. … It’s a small town. We love each other. Everybody supports our own because … next week it might happen to us.”
Others from around Lowndes County chipped in as well, with Bulley selling $20 raffle tickets for chances to win prizes donated by area businesses and organizations.
Burger and hot dog combos, meanwhile, were selling at $8 and $6 apiece, respectively.
Bulley said Sunday the fundraiser sold about 400 burger plates, 100 hot dog plates and more than 100 raffle tickets.
The pharmacy opened in 2012, and Clark purchased it 10 years later. It was closed the day of the fire with no one there. When the fire alarm sounded, Clark said firefighters were close by at the Caledonia Days festival, so they quickly responded and extinguished the blaze, leaving the building’s exterior intact.
“Unfortunately, we did lose all the contents on the inside,” Clark said. “… Not sure exactly what caused the fire. We think it’s a computer fire, at this point, but we’re still waiting on the investigators to give us the final word on it.”
Clark is renovating an office building behind the pharmacy with hopes to reopen some day this week.
“My main concern is getting back up and going for the community and the patients,” he said. “We’ve got so many people that depend on us.”
He said he’s been overwhelmed with the support he has received from the community, not just the fundraiser, but calls, visits and prayers.
“That’s just how this community is,” Clark said.
Enlow agreed.
“This is the best community to live in,” she said. “Neighbors help neighbors. You can depend on them.”
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 42 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
