- Bagigio's Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant is among the first business recipients to receive money through TEAM Leon program.
- The program awarded the restaurant in Woodville with a $5,000 microgrant.
- Watch the video to learn how the money will help the restaurant recover from tornado damage.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
More than a thousand applications were submitted for Leon County's microgrant program following the May 10th tornadoes.
Leon County Commissioner Christian Caban - "Folks are getting money now. They need money now."
Terry Hogan, Owner of Bagigio's - "I thought this is excellent and I was very very happy!"
I'm Kenya Cardonne, your neighborhood reporter in Southeast Tallahassee, where one of the first of many businesses to receive a microgrant is being celebrated right here in Woodville.
Hogan - "You think, you know, what am I going to do? How am I going to take care of this?"
Those are the questions Terry Hogan asked herself after the May 10th tornado.
That storm damaged her business, Bagigio's Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant, in Woodville.
WATCH OUR PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF THE STORM DAMAGE HERE:
Hogan - "I, honestly after the whole thing, did not know how I was going to recoup any of that"
But she's expecting to make a comeback, thanks to TEAM Leon, a microgrant program distributing $1M in financial assistance to homes and businesses in unincorporated areas.
Wednesday, Leon County held a celebration outside Bagigio's — one of the first business recipients to receive aid through the program.
Hogan tells me the $5,000 she was awarded will surely help her get back on her feet.
Hogan - "I was very very happy because now I know that, you know, even though we've been up and running since last Wednesday, I know that we're gonna make it. I know that we're gonna be able to recoup and we're gonna make it."
Commissioner Caban - "In a time of need, this is so important for us to step in and take care of our community."
County Commissioner Christian Caban was the one who got the ball rolling on this program following the tornadoes.
He tells me seeing a Woodville staple like Bagigio's with its doors open.. is what government is all about.
Caban - "Small businesses like the Bagigio's where we are today, they had significant financial impact.. you know small and family-owned businesses in our community, not everyone can withstand that. "
Hogan says although she hasn't decided how she will spend the money, at the top of her list is a generator.
Hogan - "When power goes out here, I wanna be up and running so that I can feed the people here and take care of them the way they take care of me."
The program received more than 1,200 applications within the first 24 hours of opening.
In Southeast Tallahassee, Kenya Cardonne, ABC 27
