The Newberry Lions Club will host a pancake breakfast on Saturday to benefit the Prums, a family of five whose Newberry home was destroyed in a fire last month while serving on a mission trip to their native country in Cambodia.
The breakfast will be from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 28 at the Newberry Lions Club (NLC) clubhouse (25847 W Newberry Rd.) and attendees can donate as little or as much as they want.
All funds raised for the Prums will go towards demolishing and removing debris of their former home, permitting and inspections, purchasing and installing a new home, and temporary housing and living necessities as they prepare for a new place to live.
“Stop by and get your belly full and a warm feeling in your heart knowing that you’re helping the Prum’s rebuild their lives,” posted NLC volunteer Ken McIntosh on Facebook.
Bo Prum, 59, and Leanna Prum, 60, moved from Cambodia to the U.S. over 40 years ago to raise three children and care for Leanna’s parents, according to a GoFundMe started by the Prum’s niece.
In 2020, the couple opened Prum’s Kitchen in Gainesville, operating the area’s first Cambodian restaurant until it closed in 2024.
This month, the Prum’s took to Facebook to share that they’d been processing and healing from the unexpected loss of their Newberry home from a fire on Jan. 28 while away on their first trip back to Cambodia. The mobile home had recently been paid off as the couple prepared for retirement.
Although the home was a total loss, no lives were lost, including the Prum’s daughter who was living there. Firefighters also saved the family’s dog.
“We’re incredibly grateful that no one was hurt, and we’re holding onto that blessing as we navigate what comes next,” the Prums posted. “We appreciate the support and love from those who have already reached out to us. Please do not feel obligated to donate, but we do appreciate it if you share this post or pray for our family during this time.”
Anyone interested in financially supporting the Prum family can attend Saturday’s breakfast, give to their GoFundMe, or purchase items from their Amazon registry. So far, the GoFundMe has raised over $22,500 of the $200,000 goal.
McIntosh told Mainstreet the NLC’s pancake breakfast has supported various local families and causes since it started around 10 years ago.
Some of the benefactors have included the family of Newberry teenager Malachi Lancaster, who died in 2024 in a hunting accident, the Newberry Fire Department for K-9 breathing equipment used to rescue dogs like the Prums from fires, and the families of fallen police officers in Trenton.
McIntosh said the breakfasts can raise anywhere from $500 to $7,000.
“This is a small thing that we can do with the Lions Club,” he said. “Our common thing we say nowadays is if there’s a need, there’s a lion. So here we are. We’re going to do it because there’s a need.”