KENNETT, Mo. – In 2025, governmental budget cuts affected nutrition centers across the nation.
When Kennett OAKS Senior Nutrition Center lost funding from the recent cuts, they were forced to close their doors on Mondays. This left seniors in Kennett without a meal one day of the week. Brian Brub and his crew at B2Q BBQ knew they had to step in to help.
“We decided to step up and offer a meal that would be affordable for this community that was missing out on their Monday meals,” Michelle Raspeberry said, a spokesperson and worker at B2Q BBQ. “You’re talking about a huge population in Kennett that normally lives from paycheck to paycheck. There’s not a whole lot of expendable income, so we wanted to step up and offer our service and it has taken off.”
At the end of February, B2Q BBQ began offering seniors over the age of 60 a $5 meal at their restaurant on Mondays.
On what used to be one of their slowest days of the week, B2Q BBQ has turned into a second home for some seniors in Kennett on Monday. One patron, who used the Kennett OAKS as a place to get out and socialize with her friends, said she has found the same enjoyment when coming to B2Q.
“It’s been good,” Wanda Teal said. “It’s affordable and the meals are good, and of course, a lot of the people we know from the [OAKS] center that we know can come here and socialize as well.”
For $5, along with tax, seniors receive either a pulled pork or pulled chicken sandwich. This comes with a side of chips or beans and water, which can be substituted with a canned soda for an extra charge.
Seniors are informed to bring an ID to prove they are over the age of 60. However, Raspberry note thes beauty of Kennett being a small town and tight-knit community, everyone knows each other well enough to not have to check their ID.
According to her, this adds to the importance of this mission. These Monday meals give seniors a chance to get out and see other members of their Kennett community.
“It’s just so great to see these folks, our friends, coming in and we get to provide this service to them,” Raspberry said. “We’re not just feeding bodies, but we are feeding their hearts too. These are people who would normally go to the OAKS and socialize with their friends, now they are coming her and we’ll see them sit down and fellowship with their friends here.”
According to Teal, news of the OAKS closing on Mondays devastated this community.
She is happy places like B2Q BBQ cared enough to understand the impact this would have on seniors in Kennett.
“We were used to having a place to go five days a week,” Teal said. “It wasn’t just food. We’d play cards, do some line dancing and play dominoes or have Bingo. When they closed, it hurt a lot of people. Even though not as many people come out for this, it helps. It’s good that they are doing this and the seniors all appreciate it. We can still get a good meal at a good price.”
Other restaurants in the area have followed suit, also offering discounted meals to seniors on Mondays.
According to Raspberry, it took no thought or convincing for B2Q BBQ owner Brian Grub to turn around and help when the OAKS closed its door on Mondays.
“A lot of these people had a fixed schedule and a fixed income,” Raspberry said. “They were at the OAKS every day. If you take that away from them, even one day out of the week, you are doing them a disservice and you’re going to see an impact. [Grub] just has a really big heart and is always doing something to help the community. It’s a shame the budget cuts affected the OAKS like it did, so we were happy to step up and provide them another option.”
