Benefit for Merced boy has eatery humming

A benefit for a Merced child who lost his mother this month hit the ground running, though the final numbers will take a few days to calculate, according to organizers.

King’s Asian Cuisine pledged its Wednesday profits to 3-year-old Jordance, the son of Audrey Brandt, 25, an employee of the restaurant who died Jan. 7 in a car crash outside Chowchilla.

The wait staff was buzzing around the restaurant, taking orders and delivering sushi rolls, while the chefs prepared bento boxes as fast as they could.

Carl Kangris, 39, drove from his home in Atwater and sat down to a meal of beef and edamame beans. He never knew Brandt, but some of his co-workers spoke highly of her.

“It’s for her little boy,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I want to support that?”

The lines to be seated and to pay the check were long. About a dozen people waited to pay for their meal, as the staff rushed to help them out.

Kangris said he shared Brandt’s story this morning on his Facebook page to try to get others to come out. “I didn’t expect nothing like this,” he said, motioning to the lines. “But, it’s cool.”

Crystal Miller, 44, and Jennifer Neugebauer, 38, sat down for lunch together knowing their purchases would help Jordance. Brandt had served the massage therapists before in the restaurant. Miller said Brandt was “sweet and bubbly.”

Neugebauer said she planned to buy extra to-go meals for her office mates.

Brandt, who no longer used her legal last name of Unti, was traveling north on Chowchilla Boulevard around 11 p.m. Jan. 7 when her black 2012 Chrysler 200 veered off the road. The driver’s side of the vehicle struck a pole on the east side of the road.

Tyler McKean, whose family owns the restaurant, set up the benefit to try to help Jordance. McKean came by on his lunch hour Wednesday to lend a hand; he bused tables and washed dishes.

The staff said the restaurant stayed busy through lunchtime. McKean said he won’t know how much money will go to the 3-year-old until he completes the calculations later in the week.

By all accounts, Brandt was loving, outgoing and fun to be around.

Brandt’s older sister, Sarah Dismuke, said in a phone interview the response from the community has been “overwhelming.”

“I’m really amazed that so many people are showing their support,” the 34-year-old said, her voice cracking with emotion. “It’s really nice to know she was loved by so many.”

Dismuke, who lives in Chowchilla, said Jordance is now being looked after by his father and the rest of the family. The family also raised money with an account at GoFundMe, a crowd-sourcing website.

She said she hopes to set up an account that would draw interest on the money raised, so the boy can have money for college or for some unforeseen need in the future. “This little boy is going to grow up without a mom, but he’s going to have so many people that are going to make sure he has everything he needs,” she said.

Back at the restaurant, the long wait became too much for Fredna Butler, 47, of Merced, who said she’d give it another try later in the day. She and her 14-year-old daughter, Julianna, wanted to help however they could.

“It’s just too many people,” she said. “We’ll come back. I want to help.”

This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Benefit for Merced boy has eatery humming."