OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. -- A church in Kissimmee is teaming up with a local restaurant to help end hunger with food made from scratch, now the effort is going nationwide.
- Local church and Cheddar’s provide food for those in need
- Cheddar’s donates food such as salmon, chicken and vegetables
- All 150 of Cheddar’s restaurants participate in the act of kindness
Every Saturday morning Jorge Moreno the pastor of Nazaret Casa de Dios helps distribute more than 60 meals to the homeless in downtown Kissimmee. ''That’s what the church is here for,'' Pastor Moreno said. ''Not only for the spiritual benefit of it but also for the actual benefit of people in the community.''
But this wouldn’t be possible without the help of Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen at the Loop. Cheddar’s recently started donating surplus food to the church. Stuff like salmon, chicken and vegetables.
The manager at Cheddar’s Joe Brooks said food at the restaurant is made from scratch with fresh ingredients for thousands of customers daily, but they also want to help provide for those in need. ''So our team has built a relationship with the pastor at the church and we donate hundreds of pounds per week,” Brooks said, “Which translates to thousands and even tens of thousands throughout pounds of food that we’re able to give back to the community.''
Pastor Moreno said other non-profits in town may give out food perhaps in cans, but they are trying to do a little more by cooking and preparing warm meals with these fresh ingredients. ''It’s hard to see people in the streets sleeping and on the sidewalks, it’s not easy,'' Pastor Moreno added. ''So as a church what are we doing? So we are called to help the community, help our fellow brothers and sisters out there.''
Together, these two entities are giving back, one made from scratch meal at a time. All of Cheddar’s restaurants-- more than 150 nationwide are donating to local nonprofits through this food harvest program.
More about the church Nazaret Casa de Dios can be found here.