Editor’s note: This story suggestion was submitted by Dan DeMarle at the 19th annual Ward Square Fair festival.
Tiffany Eadie was homeless at one point in her life.
Now, as the owner of Brooks Landing Diner in the 19th Ward, she welcomes the homeless people who frequent her restaurant for a meal.
“It’s nice to come to a nice restaurant, sit down to eat and feel like you’re part of the community and a normal person,” Eadie said.
Edie bought the restaurant in July 2023 and, wanting to make a difference, set up a free meal board, where people in need can use pre-purchased meal vouchers to bring to the register and wait for the diner’s chef to start their meal.
Brooks Landing offers a Southern and Korean-inspired breakfast and lunch menu with items like shrimp and grits, fried rice, sausage gravy biscuits and a variety of meat dishes.
Feeding America’s annual Map the Meal Gap report, which tracks food insecurity across the nation, found that Rochester has three ZIP codes with the highest food insecurity rates in the state.
One of those areas, area code 14608, borders Rochester’s 19th Ward.
“Sometimes we have families that come in who don’t have money for breakfast,” Eadie said. “One time we had a father who had custody of his child and he didn’t have enough money. That really touched me. So I wanted to give back to the community in any way I could while I was here.”
If you are interested in purchasing meals to add to the free food board, contact Brooks Landing Diner through their Facebook page or call (585) 436-1234.
Or you can visit a restaurant and tell the cashier you’d like to purchase a meal for the free food board.
“I’m just a small piece,” Tiffany Eady said. “I think it’s [Free Food Board] There are a lot of homeless people who need food, so this donation will trickle down to other restaurants. I hope that if someone sees me, they will do the same and we can help each other out.”
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Justice Marbury is a reporter for the 19th District. She loves her energetic puppy, Hiro. Reach her on Instagram@justice_marbury or by email at jmarbury@gannett.com.
