People who showed up at a Quad Cities homeless shelter Wednesday night got a hot meal, thanks to a local man, a local restaurant, and generous local residents. Christian Care in Rock Island served 80 hot meals, provided by Pee Wee's Restaurant, also in Rock Island.
Jack McNeil of Moline says he noticed the pandemic has put many restaurants in a very tight spot financially, and caused many people to go hungry. So he decided to connect the two using money from a Go Fund Me page on Facebook that raised 1,500 dollars.
"This is a moment where a lot of people that can, that are able to, they work from home, that have a little more treasure to give. They want to give back, they're feeling generous, and they want to support people that really need hot meals."
Pee Wee's served 80 hot meals at the shelter Wednesday night, with money left over for up to 70 more.
"I certainly think that there could be a model here to create a network of restaurants in the area that are both giving back to the community and also staying afloat at this time. Pee Wee's is a great partner and I'm sure there are other restaurants out there that would be as well."
McNeil is open to raising more money and involving more local restaurants, shelters, and food pantries.
