VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It's not the busiest time of the year along Atlantic Ave. in Virginia Beach.
The slow months created an opportunity for a local business to give back.
On Saturday, the owner of BeachHouse 757 partnered with Brandon Hutchins to host an community meal. Hutchins, a community advocate said his goal is to serve people in the community, especially during the holiday season.
“I made a post the day before Thanksgiving, to the extent of: ‘Hey, if anybody’s hungry on Thanksgiving, I don’t want you to go hungry, shoot me a message,’ and they messaged me in my inbox and I had no idea there were that many people that were hungry,” said Hutchins.
The response led Hutchins to have not one, but two dinners. It’s his way of reaching out to people in the community.
“The BeachHouse and I wanted to put an event together where we could give back to the community, feed those in need, maybe those that are less fortunate during the holiday season, and that's not to say that we just do it around December, we can do it throughout the year,” said Hutchins.
Beyond a meal, Saturday’s event gave people the opportunity to communicate and connect with one another.
“They say Virginia is for Lovers. I just feel a lot of love, I really do. I’ve got my kids here helping out, the crowd is diverse, this is my Virginia Beach,” said Hutchins.
As the plates were served, Hutchins said he hopes to make an impact in the city he loves.
“I just encourage everybody to do the same thing,” said Hutchins.
“I hope we can spark some real change around here and show that we are diverse, and we are open for business, and we're all capable of doing our part.”
He had no idea how things would turn out when he first thought of having the event.
But Hutchins said it all starts with an idea. With so many helping hands ready to serve others,
the event was successful.
Hutchins said he plans to have more of them in the future.