A meal ticket way of people helping each other during the pandemic

Oklahoma town eases pandemic, one restaurant meal at a time NEW YORK (AP) — In Miami, Oklahoma, restaurants and their customers are doing their part to ease pandemic heartache, one meal at a time. Cafes in and around the close-knit town in the... AP NEWS

NEW YORK (AP) — In Miami, Oklahoma, restaurants and their customers are doing their part to ease pandemic heartache, one meal at a time.

Cafes in and around the close-knit town in the state’s northeastern corner have put up “receipt walls,” allowing diners to pre-pay for meals and the needy to grab what they like, have a seat and refuel — judgment-free, no questions asked.

The idea of providing free, pre-paid meals spread from restaurant to restaurant a few months ago. Many recipients are homeless or have otherwise hit hard times since the pandemic rolled into Miami (pronounced my-AM-uh), population about 13,000. Two February blizzards brought even more trouble.

Jennifer White, a Miami native who owns the gourmet hot dog spot The Dawg House, transitioned from food truck to brick and mortar last September, a bold move in the middle of a pandemic. She was the first to put up a giving wall. Within eight hours, she had a wall full of meal receipts.

So far, customers at The Dawg House have provided more than 600 meals.

“And we have only eight tables in our restaurant, so that says a lot about how amazing our community is,” White said.

Some who have peeled off a taped-up receipt have paid it forward, returning to add receipts of their own. She’s had regulars purchase 10 to 50 giveaway meals at a time.

Jennifer White, a Miami native who owns the gourmet hot dog spot The Dawg House, transitioned from food truck to brick and mortar last September, a bold move in the middle of a pandemic. She was the first to put up a giving wall. Within eight hours, she had a wall full of meal receipts.

So far, customers at The Dawg House have provided more than 600 meals.

“And we have only eight tables in our restaurant, so that says a lot about how amazing our community is,” White said.

Some who have peeled off a taped-up receipt have paid it forward, returning to add receipts of their own. She’s had regulars purchase 10 to 50 giveaway meals at a time. ...