PLAINS, Pa. — A dish served at D's Diner in Plains Township is the same plate handed out for free to people served by Fork Over Love.
Fork Over Love is a nonprofit Tracey Selingo started to help those in Luzerne County struggling to put food on the table.
"We have one of the highest food insecurity rates in the state. If we look at the numbers, it's over 40,000 people in Luzerne County," said Selingo.
Selingo said the need is growing as fast as food prices are increasing.
"Our numbers, our lines, the people who come out every week to receive our food, those lines are continuing to grow," added Selingo.
Inflation in the grocery store is impacting customers and also restaurant owners like Dave Krappa. He owns The Avenue in Wyoming and says Fork Over Love's newest initiative, Restaurant Week, is already boosting his business.
"We had phone calls for takeout orders," Krappa said. "We just opened it up yesterday, that menu, and it just blew up."
Restaurant Week invites customers to dine out at 50 different restaurants across Luzerne County. Their specials do more than raise funds for Fork Over Love. It brings new business into the booths, supporting owners like Krappa.
"Even that one meal going out, that may bring back ten orders for us," he said.
His staff at The Avenue volunteer their time to pack meals for those who rely on Fork Over Love.
"The extra income that we brought in for our employees, to keep them going as well, they have mouths to feed as much as I do," Krappa said.
While Restaurant Week continues until Saturday, Krappa wants to continue being involved with Fork Over Love, saying they've helped him build back his restaurant while giving back to his neighborhood.
"With the volume starting to come back, it does make things a little bit better. We're able to buy a little bit better because we do have some extra revenue coming in."
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