Zachary’s Restaurant owner awarded for his community involvement

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- A local restaurateur is being honored for his service, not only to his customers but also to his community.

The Columbus Exchange Club presented its annual Book of Golden Deeds honor today to Doug Pellum.

Pellum, the owner of Zachary’s Restaurant in Columbus, was chosen for his community involvement and generosity in hosting numerous benefits for a wide variety of organizations and individuals over the years.

He says he’s just happy to have the platform and a willing crew to help when those needs come up.

“We have one scheduled fundraiser a year, the Humane Society,” said Pellum. “All the rest of them are when people are in need, when something comes up, a death, an illness, you know, medical bills, anything like that. That’s when the others come into play. But, there’s only one scheduled a year, and the other ones are whenever something happens. We receive a phone call, and we’re able to jump in and help.”

Pellum opened Zachary’s in 2001. When a fire gutted the restaurant in 2019, he continued to pay staff members who agreed to put in work at area non-profits. They provided more than 26 hundred hours to several organizations during the rebuilding process.