“We feel that there are so many people — including families with children — that are experiencing food insecurity right now that we need to prepare donation meals again this week," said Liz Valenti, who owns the restaurant with Dave Rawson.
The team at Wheat Penny, located at 515 Wayne Ave. in Dayton, began prepping for its next free meal on Sunday with plans to finish by early Tuesday morning.
They will begin assembling the meals around 9 a.m. with pickup from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18.
This week’s meal features penne pasta with marinara, oven-roasted basil pesto chicken breast, steamed broccoli and Italian bread.
If there are any meals remaining, the restaurant will continue to hand them out on Wednesday, Nov. 19 beginning at 11 a.m.
“We are so grateful to have an opportunity to give back to our friends, neighbors and anyone that is experiencing food insecurity,” Valenti said. “These are challenging times, but we are Dayton Strong.”
Here’s a list of other restaurants giving out free meals:
🍴 The Blue Berry Cafe
Location: 129 W. Franklin St. in Bellbrook and 2932 S. Dixie Drive in Kettering
Details: The restaurant is offering meals available for pickup 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19 (or until they are all handed out).
The Blue Berry Cafe is planning to offer 150 adult meals featuring baked chicken, brown gravy, mashed potatoes, mushrooms and onions and corn served with a cheddar and garlic butter biscuit.
Some adult meals will feature chopped steak, thanks to a donation from the executive chef at the Oakwood Club.
The restaurant will also have 100 kids meal featuring chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, corn, grapes and a package of fruit snacks.
For more information, visit The Blue Berry Cafe’s Facebook page (@TheBlueberryCafe).
🍴 El Meson
Location: 903 E. Dixie Drive in West Carrollton
Details: The restaurant is offering free meals 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19 from the food truck in its parking lot.
Adult meals will feature a chicken and potato stew with Spanish rice and stir fried vegetables. Meals for children include a cheese quesadilla with rice and taco chips.
El Meson is also hosting a fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 22 starting at 4 p.m. A percentage of every $10 bowl of paella sold will be donated to various food banks.
For more information, visit El Meson’s Facebook page (@ElMeson).
🍴 The Last Queen
Location: 210 E. Main St. in Enon
Details: The restaurant is offering free take-away meals 4-6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17.
For more information, visit The Last Queen’s Facebook page (@thelastqueenpub).
🍴 The Root Beer Stande
Location: 1727 Woodman Drive in Dayton
Details: The Root Beer Stande is giving out free kids meals to children who have a SNAP benefits card through next weekend.
All meals come with fries, a drink and a choice of hotdog, burger, grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly. No purchase is necessary.
For more information, visit The Root Beer Stande’s Facebook page.
HOW TO SEND INFO
Don’t see your restaurant on the list? Email details to natalie.jones@coxinc.com and ddnnews@coxinc.com.