Linden Hills restaurant Picnic spending Thanksgiving handing out meals to those in need
A family-owned Linden Hills bar and restaurant is closing its doors for Thanksgiving, but opening the kitchen for those who need it most.
The spirit of the holiday is truly alive at Picnic, on the west side of Lake Harriet.
Instead of watching the parade at home, a group of volunteers gathered at the bar to pack meals for those who requested them with no questions asked.
"We sent an email out for volunteering today and we had 40 volunteers sign up in 36 hours," said Kitz Kitzenberg.
The Kitzenbergs say when they opened in early 2024, they always knew they'd do this on Thanksgiving.
"When we opened this we knew that's something we could do here and pass along the feeling of giving back and gratitude on this day."
Volunteers have an itinerary and are grouped into teams who hand-deliver the meals. They're not only dropping food off at homes, but also two community centers.
When running a small business is tough as is, here's why they think it's worth it.
"With so many people experiencing food insecurity, we feel lucky to be able to do this and to also do it with the quality and caliber of our restaurant," co-owner E. Kitzenberg said.
Those who didn't join the trek stayed at the restaurant to distribute food being picked up.