Eugene business owners give back via Thanksgiving meals

For the second year in a row, the co-owners of two local restaurants are providing Thanksgiving meals to area families in need.

“Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and it is quickly become hers,” said Keith Lewis, nodding to his wife, Amy, with a laugh.

The Lewises own the Once Famous Grill on West Sixth Avenue and Quacker’s Last Stop Sports Bar on West Seventh Avenue in Eugene. They assembled 150 meals that including a frozen turkey, mash potatoes, stuffing, rolls, cranberries and a pie — enough food for a family of five or six.

The pandemic provided some challenges compared to last year. Some items were hard to find in bulk and and prices doubled, said Keith Lewis, who played football at the University of Oregon and in the NFL for 11 seasons.

“It was a little surprising, we can say that,” Amy Lewis said.

Undaunted, the couple partnered with the Academy of Arts and Academics in Springfield earlier this month to identify families to receive the meals. Thursday afternoon, a group of volunteers met a steady stream of people who arrived in the parking lot of Quacker’s in west Eugene to pick up the food.

One recipient was Lauri Noda and her two children.

“It is everything,” said Noda. “I couldn’t afford to do anything right now, you know, with COVID. It is just really, really helpful.”