His dream? To "develop communities through [their] appetite by opening great restaurants and serving healthier food where it's needed most, right in [his] neighborhood." The Turkey Chop is located in an area known as a food desert, where access to food variety and nutrition is limited. Love's restaurant wants to help the third of all people who go hungry. So, in addition to creating a successful business, he's started giving back in a major way, ensuring his dreams come to life and everyone gets a good meal.
"We know 1 in 3 go hungry , so we've fed over 57,000 people & counting at our weekly Soup Kitchen in partnership with The Love Foundation on Mondays 12-3pm. This helps to end hunger, inspire hope and lower violence. Cooking classes are held Mondays, focusing on healthier options to lower diabetes."
The story as is stands is an inspiration to us all and a good reminder to give back to our communities. However, that's not even close to where it ends.
This is Turkey Chop restaurant owner Quentin Love.
He's been giving free, ready-to-go meals and cooking classes to his Chicago community since 2014. His services don't discriminate either. Homeless or not, anyone can walk in and grab a good meal.
All this good work costs money, though. Donations and community volunteering were a huge help, but Love was still running quite the deficit every month: $2,000 to be exact.
He didn't let it stop him, though.
And then a call came.
The call was for an opportunity to compete on national television in Guy's Grocery Games. Love knew the stakes: win the competition and bring home more funds for his community. The thought of keeping the winnings, should they come, didn't even cross his mind.
His task? Run around the grocery store grabbing goods that fit his budget, then craft a gourmet meal that would wow the judges. With passion and purpose in his heart, he made his grandma's mac and cheese.
And he totally dominated the competition!
In the end, Love brought $36,000 back to his community. Here's what he did with it:
He reinvested half in his free food program, ensuring it could go on for many more years to come. The other half? He outright donated it to United Services Organization, which gives monetary aid to military members and their families.
Love reminds us what's possible when we put our whole selves into our dreams: anything.
If you want to support Love's efforts, click here to learn more and be sure to SHARE this post so everyone else can, too!
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