OTTAWA -- UPDATE: After have a patio heater stolen, generous offers to help the tiny Mexican restaurant that's taken one hit after another.
After a series of thefts, the community is rallying behind Ola Cocina restaurant in Vanier.
Donna Chevrier says she is overwhelmed with the support from the community.
Following CTV News Ottawa’s story on Tuesday about the incident, Chevrier says she's received cash donations from the community and gift cards from Home Depot to replace the missing items. She adds that others have been offering help and words of encouragement.
- WATCH: Rallying to help Ola Cocina
An Ottawa restaurant owner says a recent theft is another blow to business during this pandemic.
Donna Chevrier owns Ola Cocina in Vanier, where she says another theft occurred.
Chevrier says she went outside Saturday and noticed her patio heater was missing. She has video that appears to show a person removing the heater and then running off.
“It’s just a heater but at the end of the day it’s just one more hit,” Chevrier said.
Chevrier says someone recently stole another heater, while solar lights and even lightbulbs have gone missing. She says in total she is out a few hundred dollars.
In 2019, Chevrier says the restaurant was also broken into . In that case, thousands of dollars was taken.
“It’s been a long 36 years of doing this, and you start to reflect on, do you really want to keep doing this.”
Chevrier says it is enough to make her want to close the restaurant. For now, it remains open for takeout, with plans for delivery options by the end of the week.
Chevrier says she has notified police in relation to this most recent incident.
Owner at Ola Cocina in Vanier says her restaurant had a heater stolen recently. She says it comes following a number of similar thefts. She says it is another hit during an already difficult time. https://t.co/IuynizZSEb pic.twitter.com/PJpSLgg37B
— Megan Shaw (@meganshawCTV) January 27, 2021