CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A local bar and grill on the Southside is helping families struggling with rising food costs by offering free meals several days a week throughout the summer.
Aaron and Mandy Ayala, co-owners of Mandy's Pub and Social, are providing wings, loaded fries, and smash burgers to families in need Tuesday through Thursday between 5 to 8 p.m.
"We made this today basically to reiterate from the post that we posted a few days ago on wanting to give back in our community... we understand school is out. we understand that times are tough for people," the Ayalas said.
All of the food is being offered completely free of charge.
"I've been there and done that. I was a single mom before I met my husband," Mandy Ayala said.
This initiative comes as the Coastal Bend Food Banks reported an 18% increase in new families seeking assistance during its Saturday distribution. According to a 2023 report, nearly 40% of Nueces County families represent single-parent households.
"We had just about a dozen families come in yesterday was actually one of our busiest days. And I thought it was a beautiful thing," Aaron Ayala said.
Unlike other restaurants offering kids-eat-free deals, Mandy's is feeding entire families and operating on an honor system. When asked about people potentially taking advantage of their generosity, Aaron had a simple response.
"We can't make that choice for you... the man upstairs knows that we're doing it from a good place of heart," he said.
The couple says their motto drives this effort:
"It's nice to be important, but it's important to be nice to give back to our community, you know, our county in general."
For more information about Mandy's Pub and Social, click here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
