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Salty Papa's Shrimp House is giving away 1,000 free meals on Christmas Eve

Local restaurant plans to serve 1,000 free holiday meals
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FORT MYERS, Fla. — A local seafood restaurant in Fort Myers is making sure everyone enjoys a holiday meal so they're giving them away for free as a community.

In a time of COVID-19 and hardships across Southwest Florida, Salty Papa's Shrimp House owners and staff decided they wanted to help with one of the biggest needs.

On Christmas Eve, they say they're cooking up 1,000 free takeout dinners for anyone who needs a warm and filling meal.

“We were seeing people waiting for hours and hours and hours for food. It was just heartbreaking so Valle and I were talking, brainstorming, crying a lot, and trying to figure out what we could do to make a difference," said Manager, Amy Schaefer. “We’re going to do a traditional meal with turkey, stuffing , mashed potatoes, and cranberry."

The restaurant says they're grateful for a community that immediately started dropping off donations when they posted a flyer to Facebook.

The manager says they hope people spread the word so that anyone struggling with hunger knows their doors are open for a free dinner on the day before Christmas.

The staff and family at Salty Papa's Shrimp House, located at 15271 McGregor Blvd, will have the holiday takeout meals ready for pickup on Dec. 24 from noon until 4 p.m.

This is a Fox Four We're Open segment, where we show all the ways local people and places are coming together as a community.