Jacksonville restaurant treated first responders to a Christmas meal

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville restaurant, Willard’s Bar-B-Q Junction, opened its doors exclusively to first responders and those less fortunate. They treated everyone to a warm meal Christmas Day.

The owner, James Willard, said his inspiration goes back to a store sign that was stolen from the restaurant. It showed their support for first responders. Since then, he’s made it his mission to continue to show support. Now, he’s taking it a step further during the holidays.

In 2018, he cleared his restaurant to make room for first responders and those less fortunate. Volunteers even picked up some off the streets and drove the back to their westside store.

“The first responders that are out there protecting us right now, they can’t be at home,” Willard said. “This is my choice to be here, they don’t have a choice.”

This year, Willard’s family joined in to cook and serve guests. Friends and regular customers donated food for the menu.

Nearly 70 strangers shared a Christmas meal. Willard said it was such a success, they have decided to make it an annual event.

“A lot of people just cannot afford or they just don’t have the family, support system, or they just don’t have a place to go to eat,” Willard said. “So we wanted to reach out to them, bring them in, because that does us a lot of good.”

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