Initial donation offer turns into community coming together for one another with free meal event


Just some of the many who made it possible ... Local residents Jim Larsh, Mark Rethwisch, Sally Rethwisch, Joe Strobel, Becky Conway and Jessica Ewing pictured above were just some of the great many volunteers who helped make possible the Tuesday, March 24 Shep’s Riverside Bar and Grill delivery of more than 300 free meals to people in Lansing and the surrounding community. The event began with a donation offered to owner Justin Shepard of paying for 100 meals to be delivered to those in need, and then more than tripled following additional donations, meal requests and offers to volunteer. Submitted photo.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

Shep’s Riverside Bar and Grill in Lansing is one of the many area bars and restaurants that depend on socializing, not social distancing, for their livelihood as well as the livelihood of their employees. Business has been dramatically affected because of the limitations to just take-out food by the current COVID-19 pandemic, but owner Justin Shepard, along with many volunteers, recently proved that people do care about each other and will go to extreme means to show that kindness.

Shepard has owned the bar for the last five years but the establishment has been a mainstay along the river in Lansing since 1967.

Last Tuesday, March 24 “Shep,” as he is more locally called, and his volunteers delivered over 300 free hot roast beef dinners to people in Lansing and the surrounding area. In this small town, that’s almost a third of the residents. Approximately 50  more meals were picked up on site. Friends and volunteers helped cook and  distribute the food to those on the list, and those volunteers were from so many places.

Shepard said, “I had several employees help prepare the meals in boxes and delivering. They included Becky Conway, Dawn Ewing, Jessica Ewing, Makayla Walleser, Tiffany Fox and Theresa Schwartzhoff. My fiancée, Elissa Strobel, helped as well. There were so many volunteers from the community and I do not want to miss any, so I am not going to list them for fear that I wouldn’t have them all written down.”

“Cooking the food was done in a couple different sessions,” he further explained. “We did most of the meat the night before and had the potatoes peeled and ready to cook. That day putting everything together was myself, my mother, and the owner of Milty’s (another popular Lansing dining establishment), Mike Conway.”

The idea started when a friend of Shepard’s called and said they would like to make an anonymous donation to pay for 100 meals for needy people in the area. That came on a Friday, and by Tuesday the plan was happening. They chose Tuesday because the hot roast beef is always a popular Tuesday special.

The plan was posted on Shep’s Riverside Facebook page asking people to message them or call in if they knew someone who would benefit from a good hot meal. The messages and phone calls started pouring in. The group expanded to employees at businesses which were still open downtown. The people who regularly eat at Shep’s were included as well. Soon, other people started donating money to the cause. The plan grew.

Shepard stated, “No one who needed food was going to be left out.”

This fast-paced plan shows what a group of determined, caring individuals can do in a short amount of time. Shepard remarked, “The only different thing that I would do would be to make more food so we were more prepared. We really had enough food but it wasn’t all prepared because we were hit with so much so fast. As far as the idea, or the way that we handled it, I believe everything went as smooth as possible. This was all made possible by so many volunteers and I do believe that if we were able to do this again that they would volunteer  again.”

The event served 80 pounds of beef, 90 pounds of potatoes, 10 gallons of gravy, 10 ten-pound cans of corn, six 10-pound cans of green beans, 33 loaves of bread and 230 donated cookies.

Shep’s business, as well as all other businesses that have had to close or limit their operations, is facing the day-to-day consequences of this COVID-19 isolation. Shepard elaborated, “We are affected big by people not being able to get out and socialize. Our business is based on having people in house to eat and drink. Without socialization we are not selling any alcohol and only having take-out food keeps our impulse sales at zero. This also has affected my employees. We are unable to have anyone work and be able to make payroll at this time and this keeps them from earning a paycheck.”

Yet, in spite of those limitations, Shep and his team of volunteers, friends, employees and caring people  who gave donations made this happen for the community.

Reflecting on the day, Shepard stated, “This has been an eye-opening experience. The sheer number of people that called in for friends, relatives, neighbors, or just people they thought about was astonishing. So many people coming together in the community to get to those in need was so uplifting. I never expected the kind of response we were able to generate and the amount of people that we were able to reach.”

“As far as learning from this, people really do care about each other,” Shepard further shared. “With all the negative that we see in the world today and all the divisiveness that we see it is nice to see people come together and do a good deed no matter who we are.”

“We will make it through this. Make sure to stay safe and help anyone in need.   Please pay it forward during these difficult times. It is very uplifting, not only for the person/people you are helping but also for yourself. Thanks to everyone for their support,” he concluded.

Duke Ellington once said, “A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” Justin Shepard and all the employees, volunteers and donors who had a hand in that March 24 free meal campaign certainly did their best to help all they could in their community.