Community Raises $16,000 to Help 79-Year-Old Diner Worker Facing Financial Hardships

An elderly diner worker is getting a big tip from her community.

Lou Ann Antrup, 79, has worked on and off as a dishwasher for North Main Street Diner in Indiana for more than 20 years. It’s not because she doesn’t want to retire, she just can’t afford to. She still has bills to pay and lately it’s becoming harder for her to do that.

So she says when in need, she turns to the diner’s owner, Alicia Price for some shifts but now the community has given her a reason to smile.

"She has been a big help to me. If not for her, I’d probably be in a hole,” Antrup told WANE.

But at 79, Antrup can’t work much more than she already does.  She’s fallen behind on her car payments and won’t be able to get to work if she loses her vehicle.

So, her boss set up a GoFundMe account so anyone can pitch in to give Antrup a break.

"We enjoy having her here even though, at the same time, we hate to see her working at her age too,” Price told WANE.

The campaign has raised $16,000 and a few dollars here and there have added up to a big relief for someone who needed a little help.

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