Restaurants, Patrons Unite to Feed Homeless

Donna Trantham wears her heart on her sleeve. The restaurateur, at the helm of Titusville’s popular Mr. Submarine and Salads for nearly 34 years, has been using her good fortune in recent times to pay it forward. Literally.

Trantham’s business is one of nearly a dozen restaurants in Brevard County participating in the Pay-It-Forward program to feed the homeless.

“There's no greater cause than to serve others, and this is a great way to help people. So, we just jump in and do what we can,” Trantham said.

The program, now in its third year, was conceived by Sue Larson and her husband, Al, through their work with New Life Space Coast’s Speak Out in the Streets ministry. It’s simple: when customers pay for their meal, they have the option of paying a little more to cover the purchase of a meal for someone experiencing homelessness. When someone comes into the restaurant hungry without money, they are covered with a free to-go meal.

“I love that the homeless are getting fed. But my first obligation, if you will, is to the businesses because without their support and their participation, there is no initiative,” Larson said.

Businesses like Organic Girly, Lloyd Have Mercy and Main Street Philly have partnered on the project, and in turn are promoted with collateral, livestreams on social media and ad posts in Pay-It-Forward’s Facebook group, which has grown to over 5,000 members. Businesses are not obligated to abide by any policies or systems. They are free to follow their hearts with what works best during their operating hours.

Be it by luck or patronage, businesses participating in Pay-It-Forward have been thriving during the challenging times unleashed by the pandemic, with some even opening up second locations.

“The participants that we have had since 2018 have been faithful. Working with the homeless is not easy sometimes,” Larson said. “But we have only had positive responses.”

Though momentum continues to grow, Larson is far from meeting her quota and is hoping to boost the number of businesses participating in Pay-It-Forward to double what she has now, especially in the Palm Bay and Melbourne areas. She’s gaining support along the way from groups like the Titusville Chamber of Commerce and the Brevard County Sheriff's Department, who recognize the mutual benefits of helping feed the homeless while promoting the altruism of businesses.

“It really is a win-win for everyone,” said Larson, who is hopeful that the model behind Pay-It-Forward will be considered by the City of Melbourne while they work on a panhandling ordinance.

“In Titusville, you see little to no panhandling anymore because of the Pay-It-Forward program with businesses,” Larson attests. “The homeless are people, and they are hungry. Some of them have mental health issues and some of them have drug issues. Some of them just have money issues and some of them have made bad decisions. Let’s reach out a hand and help them get on their feet.”

Pay-It-Forward
For more information, visit newlifespacecoast.com or the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/653475261688668