Holloway Roofing and L & S Diner partner to offer free meals to those in need

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Two local businesses in the Valley have teamed up to help those in need. Holloway Roofing in Weyers Cave and L & S Diner in Harrisonburg have partnered to offer free meals to people facing food insecurity over the next month.

“We want to put our money in places where we’re able to actually make an immediate impact right away. We’re affiliated with lots of different ways of giving back and we always try to do that in a way where we’re able to touch the families that need it,” said James Holloway, owner of Holloway Roofing.

Each year in July, Holloway Roofing hosts a cookout for those in need at Our Community Place in Harrisonburg. This year it wanted to do more to give back during the holiday season.

“We had some extra money from the profits we’ve earned from the community and we wanted to find a creative way to give back to the less fortunate. So we made a Facebook Ad searching for a restaurant downtown that would be willing to accommodate what we’re looking to do,” said Holloway. “L & S Diner piped up and said they’d be willing to partner with us. So we threw a $ 1,000-a-week budget at covering meals and gratuity tips for the waitresses to help provide some meals to the less fortunate during the holiday season.”

The free meals began at the beginning of this week but the first week has been so busy that Holloway Roofing decided to up the ante.

“We’ve increased the $1,000 a week to $2,000 a week to kind of try to cover the demand they were met with. We’re just super excited to give back to the community a little bit of what the community has given to us,” said Holloway.

The free meals are available to anyone who is struggling with food insecurity.

“If you have the means to provide meals for yourself and you don’t need a handout we’re asking that you don’t take that but if you are experiencing some tough times there are no specific qualifications to be eligible for this you just show up to the diner,” said Holloway.

James Holloway said he hopes that the partnership will encourage other businesses and people in the community to lend a helping hand to those in need.

“There are businesses that are ten times our size so if we could spread this and influence others to do the same thing, if somebody as small as us can make such an impact how could we all act as a community? Could we actually bring a more full-time resolution?” he said.

Holloway said he’s been thrilled with the feedback from the partnership and the number of people who have already been fed. He hopes to build off it to do more community work in the future.

“We have an idea of opening a permanent cookout which is a food truck that offers free meals year-round, seven days a week to the less fortunate. We’re looking for non-profits that we can partner with that make a direct difference on a day-to-day basis,” said Holloway.

The free meals will be available at L & S Diner through December 13.

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