The Willow Bistro has launched a free lunch punch card for those on SNAP benefits for the month of November.
The program was announced on Nov. 7 on the restaurant’s Facebook page. The bistro is offering all SNAP recipients a free lunch punch card, which can be used for 10 free lunch items from their seasonal menu this month.
Erik Watson Concrete, another local business, partnered with The Willow Bistro for the program. They will be matching the “monetary value of all meals provided and donate that amount to our local Needline and (Soup for the Soul),” according to the Facebook announcement.
The Willow Bistro was opened in 2014 by Breanna and Quique Morales, after moving to Murray, Kentucky, from New York City. The building was once Gloria’s World Village Restaurant, an international restaurant.
The Moraleses kept most of the international dishes from Gloria’s menu to serve at The Willow Bistro while adding their own dishes to the menu, such as more American and authentic Mexican food, according to a biography on the business’s Yelp page.
Breanna Morales said she was driven to help community members worried about losing their SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown.
“I started to imagine how I would feel if I was put in their situation,” she said. “I, of course, cannot solve this problem, but I knew there had to be something that I could do to help.”
While brainstorming on how she could help the community, Erik Watson, the owner of Erik Watson Concrete, reached out to her. Morales said Watson was also looking for a way to help.
“We threw out some ideas to one another and came up with the free lunch punch card,” she said. “The Willow Bistro provides the food and service. Erik Watson Concrete matches the amount we would have received for those meals and donates it to Needline and Soup for the Soul.”
The reception from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. On social media, the bistro’s announcement has received 414 likes and 240 shares, which is the most engagement they have ever had. Morales said many community members reached out “thanking (the bistro) and wondering if there is anything they can do to help.”
While The Willow Bistro will not be taking donations, she said some have offered to add to the monetary donation from Erik Watson Concrete.
Morales said the SNAP recipients who have claimed their cards have been “pleasant and extremely grateful.”
“We have only had six people that have claimed their free lunch punch card, but it has been less than a week since we first posted about the program,” she said. “I am sure the number of people will increase quickly.”
For more information on The Willow Bistro and their free lunch punch card program, please visit their Facebook page or website or contact them at [email protected].
