Caring community responds to loss of cafe

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. That isn't entirely true; judging from the response to the fire at Fuller's Family Restaurant, the route is the same no matter the gender.

Hundreds of people lined B Street Saturday night to watch the blaze, but many of them came back Sunday afternoon to help Val Fuller and Linda Thayer in any way they could, specifically carefully wrapping and packing away as many of the 3,800 cookie jars in Linda's collection that survived the conflagration.

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the mishap, but it was clear from the response on social media that the McCook landmark is near and dear to many hearts.

One family recalled having their vehicle break down on a cross-country trip and finding a welcoming place to wait. "Everyone at Fuller's was so friendly, helpful and welcoming. I don't know what we would have done without all of you and your support. Praying that this is not the end of Fuller's."

"You never think of losing a monumental business such as Fuller's Family Restaurant until you see a tragedy like this and you realize just how precarious our lives are," another friend wrote. "One minute everything is just fine and a few hours later your livelihood, memories and belongings are gone."

"This is so Nebraska," another wrote. "Everyone helps, everyone cares. Reaching out to touch each others' lives; the rest of the world falls apart and Nebraskans pull together in God's love."

"Marvelous people helping marvelous people," wrote still another. "My heart warms seeing this and so many cookie jars survived ... thank you, thank you all for helping Val and Linda through this horrible day."

We don't know what the future holds for Fuller's and its many employees; we're sure they would like to know as well.

If our caring community makes any difference, however, the future is bright.