Since 2013, Candice O’Brien Beasley has been serving a free southern-style meal to anyone who walks into her Nashville-area restaurant on Christmas.
The Christmas menu at O’Brien’s Southern Diner in Ashland City, Tennessee is turkey, ham, dressing, mac and cheese, broccoli casserole and fudge pie.
According to the Washington Post, the first year Beasley opened her doors to the public for a free Christmas meal about 25 people showed up. It has since grown to up to 500 some years.
“I know what it’s like to go without food, to have nothing in the house during a holiday time or any time,” she said. “I know what it’s like to have that rug yanked out from under you. It’s painful.”
It’s not just the restaurant where meals are served. Along with 30 volunteers, Beasley will package 300 meals to give to residents in the area who don’t have the means to have a full Christmas dinner.