MINERSVILLE, Pa. — For the past six weeks, the scene every Wednesday outside of Tony's Meat Market includes dozens of cars lined up for hours.
"They started lining up at 9:30 a.m. this morning, and all of our materials that goes out to the public starts at 11 a.m.," Jim Calderone of Tony's Meat Market said.
During the pandemic, Tony's Meat Market has been giving out free meals every Wednesday to Minersville residents.
That's caused a rare but welcome traffic jam once a week in front of the market on East North Street to help out those in need.
"We're not the richest town in Schuylkill County, to begin with," Calderone said. "We're trying to just be part of the community and give back. Most of the people involved in our meat market day to day are local people, so we're trying to give back and be a part of the community."
The market estimates it handed out around 700 platters a day, bringing the total to well over 4,000 over the past month and a half.
The meal on this day was a breaded pork chop with mashed potatoes, gravy, and vegetables.
"We're doing well as far as the business is concerned, and Tony, the owner, wants to give back to the community," Calderone added.
Tony'S says it plans on doing this until the coronavirus passes and restrictions are loosened by the state.