Food
Couple's pay-what-you-can restaurant feeds anyone who's hungry
This is the truest definition of kindness.
Luis Gaskell
08.27.20

COVID-19 hasn’t disappeared at all. And in the waking months of its spread, businesses have closed, people have lost jobs, the economy has taken a nosedive and the despair seems to be spreading as quickly as the virus.

People need to work to put food on the table, and this horrid virus only served to highlight how vulnerable our economic system is.

People were already living paycheck to paycheck before the pandemic reared its ugly head, and folks are slowly realizing how vulnerable their lives were prior.

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With food being a major concern during a time like this, it’s time for people’s shining kindness to make itself known again. Here, the latest form its taken is this pay-what-you-can restaurant that wants to make sure people get something to eat while quarantining.

Sweet home Alabama

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Our story takes us to Alabama, where a couple is as bummed out and saddened by the hardships brought about by the pandemic. So they’ve gone out their way to put up their own little restaurant that’s sure to get a lot of customers. And that’s thanks to one unique thing about it: It’s free.

Acts of unconditional kindness and compassion like this are invaluable. They aren’t rare either – we’re just bad at paying attention to the good things but really good at focusing on the negative. There is still love and kindness like this in the world, and it far outshines the selfishness and hate that plagues the world.

Serving the best soul food you can possibly get during a pandemic, Drexell & Honeybee’s is a restaurant in Brewton with one mission: To prioritize kindness above money.

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And with fried chicken, collard greens, and cornbread on the menu, you can be assured that these aren’t just cheaply prepared mass-distributed foods with the bare minimum amount of nutrition. The food has all the heart and soul of Alabama and the couple that cooks them.

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They mention on their Facebook page that, in keeping with social distancing, they’re only serving food-to-go for the time being. But the pay-what-you-can concept remains, and that makes a world of difference during a time like this.

Lisa Thomas-McMillan, one of the owners, couldn’t hold back the emotions when she talked about how much she valued the lessons of kindness and helping that her seniors passed onto her when she was younger.

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And when she was old enough to do more than just help her elderly neighbors turn over their mattresses, she set her eyes on one huge problem that she deeply cared about – there are people in her country with no food on their platters.

No person should have to starve and go without food for being poor, and Lisa agrees. She and her husband, Freddie Thomas-McMillan, have no employees helping them. People can simply volunteer to help if they just approach her and ask.

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Lisa discussed her first notable memory of someone being kind to her.

It was a little girl in her class who shared her bologna and lettuce sandwich with her after Lisa offered her a bit of her PB&J sandwich in the 2nd grade. She didn’t hesitate to describe how generous and compassionate this friend of hers was. On that day, Lisa says, she learned that angels walk among us.

And several decades later, that little girl’s generous heart helped Lisa become the person she is today. Like that 2nd grader who shared her sandwich, Lisa and Freddie are angels to the rest of us. They have a Facebook page, where recently, they say that they’ve seen an uptick in “customers” from all the news outlets that featured them.

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This is nothing but wonderful news, of course. It means more people to donate to them, and more people learning about this place should they be needy and unable to provide for themselves.

Drexell and Honeybee’s is a unique restaurant for all the right reasons. Think about giving this article a share to direct more people to visit Lisa and Freddie’s restaurant. And encourage them to donate and spread the word while you’re at it!

Learn more in the video below.

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