Businesses unite to support families after fatal Harford County school bus accident

Businesses across Harford County are coming together to support the families of Blake Elliot and Zach Griffin, the two C. Milton Wright students who were involved in a gruesome car crash last week.

For Joe Lancelotta, co-owner of Conrad's Seafood Restaurant in Abingdon, creating a fundraiser was a no-brainer.

"It's part of being a small business owner in a community like Harford County," said Lancelotta.

On Monday, September 29, 20 percent of all orders at all locations will go to both the Elliot and Griffin families.

Blake Elliot died in the crash, which involved a school bus, and Zach Griffin is still in the hospital.

"We can't imagine what these parents and families are experiencing at this time, but just so that they know, there's people out there that are thinking about them, praying for them, pulling for them, and the support is here in the community," said Lancelotta.

"...we're here for you."

Conrad's is just one local business supporting the families.

Sweet Frog in Bel Air will donate 20 percent of their sales on Friday night to the families, while The Local in Fallston held a fundraiser on Thursday night.

Several Pappa's locations, including the one in Bel Air, are also collecting donations and will match a portion of what's collected.

"It's our way of supporting these families and showing them we hear you, we see you, we're here for you...Hopefully, it gives them a little more time just to be able to gather their things and try to get back to some bit of normalcy," said Pappa's assistant manager, Nalee Baker.

At the end of the day, Harford County is not just a place to live, but it's a family, and families help each other through the good and the bad times.

"Hopefully, it feels a little warm to know that we are grieving with you, and though many of us have not met these children that have been involved, we care, and it has been a deep impact on us," said Baker.

"We all have families, we all have kids, we all have tragedy in our lives, and I think it's nice when you go through a tragedy, to know, there's people there for you, supporting you, behind you," said Lancelotta.

While Blake will be laid to rest on Saturday, an update written on a GoFundMe page for Zach says that he is slowly but surely improving.