Growing up in one of Alabama’s poorest counties, Lisa Thomas-McMillan learned the difference between “want” and “need” early on.
One day, Lisa was standing in line at the grocery store when she saw an elderly woman struggling to pay for her groceries. She was searching through her purse trying to get about $12 together. Lisa stepped up to cover the items, and an idea was planted in her mind.
Lisa said, “She can’t afford $12 of food, and if you don’t have that, you really are doing without.”
Then she found out that many local seniors were going hungry each day, so she took action. She gathered a list of 27 names and began preparing each of them a hearty breakfast before she went to work as an insurance agent.
After some trial and error, she and her husband created their own 501(c)(3) food bank and donations-only kitchen to help out! They called the restaurant Drexell & Honeybee’s, a name Lisa had given the ice cream stand she once dreamed of opening.
With help from a team of volunteers, Lisa works tirelessly to create delicious, nourishing meals five days a week. Drexell & Honeybee’s features all the delicious home-cooked Southern food you can imagine, from meatloaf to collard greens and racks of ribs. It functions like any other restaurant with one huge exception: There are no prices because payment is optional!