Lancaster restaurant turns into soup kitchen for a day

Published 10:53 am Tuesday, December 20, 2016

LANCASTER — Monday was a day of a community working together — individuals, businesses and organizations provided soup for free for those in need.

Grate Day’s Grill and Café, located at 75 Public Square in Lancaster, opened its doors on Monday to be a soup kitchen for anyone in the community who felt they might need a meal.

Kendra Peek/kendra.peek@amnews.com Claude Anderson, left, with members of GLAD, youth: Erin Day, Ethan Lamb, Kaleigh Mosier, and Nathan Dailey, at Grate Days Grill and Café on Monday. The café opened for a special day to host a soup kitchen for community members.

Kendra Peek/kendra.peek@amnews.com
Claude Anderson, left, with members of GLAD, youth: Erin Day, Ethan Lamb, Kaleigh Mosier, and Nathan Dailey, at Grate Days Grill and Café on Monday. The café opened for a special day to host a soup kitchen for community members.

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“We know there are a lot of hungry people in Garrard County,” said Lynne Day, the owner of Grate Day’s.

She was joined by students from GLAD, youth; Garrard County Girl Scout Troop 7418; employees from Whitaker Bank; individuals with the Community Action Agency; and Bluegrass.org; among others.

Claude Anderson of Garrard County stopped by to get food and said he enjoyed it.

“It was awful good,” he said.

Anderson, 65, was talking to Erin Day, Nathan Dailey, Ethan Lamb and Kaleigh Moser from the GLAD organization.

“We love coming to socialize,” Dailey said.

There hadn’t been a huge turnout, but a great deal of volunteers showed up for the first day, Day said.

Kendra Peek/kendra.peek@amnews.com Katie Day, Cheyenne Day, Casey Gabbard, Nikki Gabbard, Amanda Gabbard, Xavier Diaz and Amber Day with Garrard County Girl Scout Troop 7418, hand out scarves, hats, and jackets outside Grate Days Grill and Café on Monday.

Kendra Peek/kendra.peek@amnews.com
Katie Day, Cheyenne Day, Casey Gabbard, Nikki Gabbard, Amanda Gabbard, Xavier Diaz and Amber Day with Garrard County Girl Scout Troop 7418, hand out scarves, hats, and jackets outside Grate Days Grill and Café on Monday.

Besides a free meal, those who came by received free gloves and scarves, thanks to the Girl Scouts; free blood pressure screenings; information about potential employment opportunities, community information and more.

Girl Scout Troop leader Amber Day said she had brought her kids out as a way to help community members, and teach the girls a lesson on compassion.

“We are teaching them that it’s better to give than receive,” she said. “They’ve been handing things out without getting anything in return.”

Plans are in the works to host a soup kitchen day more regularly at Grate Day’s Grill and Café.

Follow Kendra Peek on Twitter, @knpeek.