Restaurant Opens Doors On Christmas Day For People Staying At Shelter
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- While just about every store and restaurant is closed for Christmas, one diner in Minneapolis is open.
At Our Kitchen in Uptown, people from the Simpson Shelter got a chance to do something they only get to do once a year – order breakfast off a menu.
This is the sixth year Dan Ziegler has opened his doors Christmas morning, not to paying customers but to a community in need.
Until 11 a.m., he and his team of volunteers cook and serve classic American breakfasts to people like Mary. She spends most days wondering if she'll get breakfast at all. On Tuesday, she got steak and eggs.
"I'm so thankful and I'm happy that I'm at Simpson's," Mary Ballanger said. "It's a safe place and I just enjoy being there."
"People are very happy to be able to get a hot meal, people are happy to be able to do something special on Christmas, and just the community that it brings, everyone's smiling and laughing, joking around and enjoying a good breakfast," Brian Bozeman said. "So it's a good day."
The volunteer effort goes beyond the diner itself. A shuttle took people to and from the Simpson Shelter, where many of them will spend the rest of Christmas Day together.
