Operation BBQ Relief: Charity feeds homeless, first responders, employs restaurant workers

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Operation BBQ Relief is doing its part on the coronavirus front lines feeding the hungry.

The Kansas City-area charity usually mobilizes with hot meals after natural disasters; these days it is feeding COVID-19 first responders and the local homeless as well as employing restaurant workers suddenly left jobless.

Stan Hays, co-founder and CEO for Operation BBQ Relief, told Fox News: “We are doing what we can in our home community to feed people in need of a good comforting hot meal.  We want to ensure during this difficult time that they are not forgotten and people know they care about them.”

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The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Missouri surpassed 1,000 on Monday and the state’s death toll rose to 13.

Operation BBQ Relief is doing its part on the coronavirus frontlines feeding the hungry. (Operation BBQ Relief)

Health officials said that as of Monday afternoon, 1,031 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Missouri. That is an increase of 128 from Sunday.

Amid quarantine and social distancing, Operation BBQ Relief still has help distributing the meals.

“We are working with other nonprofits, churches, civic groups and citizens helping their neighbors to get food to those that need it," Hays said. "At the restaurant they also offer curbside pick up for those that can get out.”

The number of meals varies from day to day.

The Kansas City-area charity usually mobilizes with hot meals after natural disasters; these days they are feeding COVID-19 first responders and the local homeless as well as employing restaurant workers suddenly left jobless. (Operation BBQ Relief)

Hays said: “We are serving approximately 1,300 meals a day in the city to the homeless, first responders, medical workers and those families struggling during this difficult time.”

He added: “Through today we have served approximately 9,500 meals in the last week.”

Operation BBQ Relief also just launched a new program called the Restaurant Relief Plan.

Hays said: “The Restaurant Relief Plan is a way to help restaurants that have closed or are closing to stay open with financial assistance, rehire or retain employees and pay them and produce 2,500 free meals a day for the community. We also provide them the food and most essential supplies to get the meals out.”

Regardless of the dangers, the charity remains ready to help out in the times ahead any way they can.

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“We can’t do it all by ourselves,” Hays said. “This is one of those things we can do so much more together than we can divided.”