MADISON, Wis. — Delta Beer Lab held their fourth annual ‘Deltagiving’ on Thursday, serving free Thanksgiving meals with food donated by local restaurants, but, the turkey and stuffing took a back seat at this feast.
“So this all started because not everybody has a safe place to go,” said Tim “Pio” Piotrowski, the Co-Owner of Delta Beer Lab
He says that while he’s always had a place he could go, he knows what it feels like.
“But being a part of the LGBTQ community…when I was in Minneapolis there was a time when I didn’t wanna go home, that for me it wasn’t going to be a joyous occasion,” Pio said, “so I found a gay bar in Minneapolis that was a serving a Thanksgiving meal, and I got to have a chosen community that filled the need that I had that year.”
Delta served 125 free Thanksgiving feasts Thursday, doubling their old record. Each of the last three years they served between 55-60 people. During COVID, they cooked up burgers and brats outside. The meal was completely free, and while they did accept donations, they never take tips. They donate any tips to a rotating monthly non-profit.
“In the almost four years that we’ve been open, Delta and our guests have raised over $150,000 and we put it right back into the community, to organizations that fit with our mission, so all of November has been Toys for Tots,” said Pio.
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