Brenen’s Gives Away Free Lunchboxes, Milk and Bread
By: Hardika Singh
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Athens local business Brenen’s Coffee Cafe is providing free lunchboxes, milk and bread to anyone in need of food as the coronavirus pandemic brings economic hardship to the region.
Through a donation from the O’Nail Hartman Insurance Company, Brenen’s has been able to provide people with milk, bread, a pasta or potato salad, cookie, croissant, chips and more.
Brenen’s Manager Josh Thomas said that giving food away to the community helps keep his coffee shop in business and provides community members the support they need.
“We’ve purchased a bunch of bread because I know that sometimes when people go to the store, they’re having a hard time finding just bread and milk and some of the basics,” he said. “We’ve also been giving gallons of milk to the people who have been in-need and loaves of bread.”
As more cases of COVID-19 are confirmed, panic has spread. Grocery stores are one of the places hit the hardest as people continue to hoard essentials such as milk, bread and eggs. Many stores have reserved the early morning hours for the elderly so they can shop while decreasing the risk of contamination.
“We have plenty of bread throughout the week, so people in need of a loaf of bread, they can stop in, and we should have enough to give throughout the week,” Thomas said.
Brenen’s has been actively promoting their meal plans on social media, which has inspired others to donate and provide meal boxes.
“Other people in the community have seen this on Facebook and have contacted us and said we would also like to donate money to buy lunches that can be dispersed to people in need,” Thomas said.
Thomas also encourages people to gather supplies for their friends and neighbors.
“If you can come out and get a couple lunches for your friends and neighbors that’s the way to go,” Thomas said.