REXBURG — It might have been the largest dinner rush the Upper Valley has ever seen.
On Monday, thousands of people visited the McDonald’s on University Boulevard in Rexburg to honor Kathy Striffler, a elementary school crossing guard who died in a Montana crash last week.
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During the late afternoon and evening, cars queued down University Boulevard just to get into the parking lot or the drive-thru. Some customers waited well over an hour to get their fast food, but no one seemed to mind.
“This community is awesome,” McDonald’s owner Trent Cichos said. “People were so kind and so nice, especially at dinner time when we had such a long line. Our drive-thru workers said (the customers) were some of the nicest people they’ve ever seen.”
Late last week, Cichos, a friend of the Striffler family, announced Monday would be “Kathy Striffler Day.” He offered to donate 100 percent of the restaurant’s Monday sales to Striffler’s husband Henry and son Glenn to cover medical and funeral expenses.
The fundraiser kept staff busy all day, and well into the night. Between 7 a.m. and midnight some 2,300 transactions were made at the restaurant and more than 5,000 sandwiches sold.
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Cichos said he couldn’t release the amount of money raised from the sales; however, more than $3,000 was raised from donations jars in the restaurant.
In conjunction with the McDonald’s event, World Gym in Rexburg raised an additional $1,200 from its patrons, which was matched by the gym’s owner for a total of $2,400.
McDonald’s employees said the event far surpassed any of their expectations, and they were glad to be able to help the Striffler family.
Amanda Rybalch, an employee at McDonald’s, told the BYU-Idaho Scroll she knew the Striffler family. She recalled how Striffler worked at the school her family attended.
“She came in here every Sunday with her son and her husband,” Rybalch said. “And they always got refills every Sunday.”
Besides the Monday fundraisers, the Striffler family also has a GoFundMe account, where people had donated nearly $10,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.
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Striffler, 53, was employed as a crossing guard for Madison School District 321 at Kennedy and Adams Elementary and in food services at Adams Elementary for more than 13 years, district spokeswoman Jessica Goudy told EastIdahoNews.com.
She was killed early Monday, March 21, in a car crash, while traveling on Interstate 90 near Columbus, Montana. Her funeral was today in Rexburg.
Cichos said Striffler will be missed, but he is grateful that the community has come out in support of her family.
“I really appreciate the community support,” he said. “The Striffler family is incredibly grateful.”
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Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
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