Every year, Black Sheep Burgers & Shakes in Springfield, Missouri, opens its doors to those in need of a free meal on Christmas Day.
“All we ask is that you bring your hearts so we can celebrate Christmas together,” the restaurant wrote on its Facebook page on Dec. 17.
One patron, an elderly woman with no living relatives, shared what the gesture meant to her in a heartfelt letter that had staff in tears.
The handwritten note begins, “A very heartfelt thank you for the kindness of you all! It would have been a very boring Christmas for me as I have no family left. I never thought of this years ago, but being the youngest in my family, I have seen everyone leave this Earth before me.”
The woman explained that she has been living on social security benefits, forcing her to “downsize” to a rented room in a shared house.
“A dear friend heard about the offer of the free meal and invited me out for ‘Christmas lunch.’ Great idea since I was down to $1!” she wrote. “The meal was wonderful as were the staff. Thank you again for making it a day to remember! Blessings.”
Restaurant owner Mike Jalili shared the note on Facebook in hopes that someone might have information about the author, who did not sign her name or include a return address.
“I’m wanting to invite her to our house for holidays, this is the reason I’m trying to locate her,” Jalili wrote in his post.
Though Jalili doesn’t have any solid leads at moment, he’s not giving up the search.