Chick-Fil-A staffers will deliver meals to area hot meal and lunch programs the weekend before the new restaurant opens on March. 10.
After Chick-Fil-A announced the March 10 grand opening and that the first 100 adults would get free sandwiches for a year, some readers on the Racine County Eye Facebook page thought feeding the homeless would be a better idea.
“How about all of the people that are capable of paying for their own food stay away from this event and let the homeless line up instead,” Beth Holbus wrote. “I bet we would make national news headlines! And a person down on his luck would get a free meal once a week.”
Other readers agreed, so Racine County Eye contacted newly transplanted Chick-Fil-A owner/operator Brian Goode, and also thinks feeding our less fortunate neighbors is a good idea. Because there are some rules attached to receiving the free sandwiches for a year – like presenting proof of zip code – Goode is offering to deliver meals to hot meal and/or lunch programs around the area the weekend of March 4 and 5.
“I want to be a part of addressing the Racine community’s needs, and I want to thank (your readers) for raising the issue of homelessness in Racine,” he said. “I have been so welcomed by the Racine community, and as we celebrate the Grand Opening of Racine’s first free standing Chick-fil-A restaurant, I want to do my part to serve my Racine neighbors. As part of this celebration, I will bring Chick-fil-A meals directly to local organizations that provide food and shelter to our homeless and less fortunate neighbors.”
Dianna Ruhl suggested residents line up to get a coupon book and then give it away.
“Get a group together and all sit out there and have fun get the vouchers, then find someone in need to give them to; it’s usually a coupon book,” she posted. “So the more people you can get to line up with you the more people you can help.”
Goode thinks Ruhl’s idea is a great idea in light of how having proof of a zip code may be an impediment.
“One of the eligibility requirements for the First 100 is that all campers provide proof of zip code. Because I understand that may be a barrier to some of Racine’s homeless population, I want to make sure we reach them directly with food donations on March 4 and 5,” he added. “I also encourage participants who camp out at the First 100 event to donate their free meals to the local homeless community.”
Locations Goode and his team will distribute Chick-Fil-A meals is still being coordinated. We will update this story when those details become available.
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