GASTONIA, N.C. –  On Thursday, November 12, six people were shot outside of a nightclub in Gastonia.

Two of those shot were Gastonia police officers. Both Officer Mike Lewis and Sgt. Eric Nelson were working off duty.

“Our agency has wrapped around Mike and Eric, helping them and being there for them," says Chief Travis Brittain.

While those officers work to recover, the community they serve is stepping up to help.

“You hear those things around the country and even over in Charlotte, and it’s sort of far away, but now to hear it here, it just struck a chord," says John Bailey.

Bailey owns Sammy's Neighborhood Pub in Belmont, and once he heard the news, he knew he needed to do something.

“We’re a very tight knit community and the police officers have always done a good job at taking care of us, and when we’re in trouble they’re rushing to us," he says. "Now that there’s a couple of those guys in trouble, we want to rush to them and take care of them.”  

Bailey teamed up with the owner of Webb’s Custom Kitchen, where on Wednesday, November 18, both restaurants sold specials and donated a portion of their proceeds to help both officers with their recovery.

“Lots of times you’ll hear people say, 'well I wanted to do something, but I didn’t know what to do,'" Bailey says. "So what we do is provide a conduit for people to be able to help who otherwise don’t know how to help.”

To some it might just look like a regular lunch, but to Brititain, it's a small gesture that shows just how much his officers mean to this community.

“Having support and seeing that support and seeing it in action is something that’s wonderful," he says.

Bailey is hoping to raise over $10,000 for both officers.

Those interested in helping can drop off monetary donations at Sammy’s Neighborhood Pub in Belmont on Thursday, November 19.