CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tuesday evenings always keep Scott Lindsley and Joey Hewell on their toes.
What You Need To Know
- Scott Lindsley and Joey Hewell started feeding people for free back in 2016
- Over the years they've served hundreds of meals to the community
- In the fall and winter, they serve free food on Tuesdays, and in the spring and summer they serve food on Sundays
"Never when we opened this store did we think this was something that we’re going to do,” Hewell said.
The two had just opened the NoDa Company Store back in 2016 when they decided to bring in a grill and cook out one Sunday.
“We ate a hamburger and then we had about maybe 10 or 12 people up here and they ate hamburgers,” Hewell recalled. “We really got into a great conversation with them, and we thought, this is a really great way to get the community together.”
Five years later, the two continue to cook, prep and serve food now to a crowd of over 100 people.
All the meals are 100% free. The only catch is to stay and fellowship.
“I can’t think of anything else that we could have done that would have brought more people together from a diverse background,” Hewell said.
The two also enjoy cooking and believe this is a great way for people to try new foods.
“Some nights, I think what we cook, we like and I think it’s good, but every once in awhile, we’ll have people coming up going, ‘oh my, God, it was so delicious,’ and that’s a fun, fulfilling thing if you enjoy cooking food,” Lindsley said.
Hundreds of meals later, the two agree it’s a lot of work. But getting to know their neighbors and building friendships is what makes it all worth it.
Both Lindsley and Hewell recently appeared on the Kelly Clarkson Show, which gifted them $1,000 to go toward making more free meals.
You can visit their store at 3221 Yadkin Avenue in NoDa every Tuesday evening to meet the two and grab a free meal.