Area Churches Collaborate With Eddie’s Crabhouse to Distribute 2,000 Holiday Meals

HAMPTON ROADS
Area churches of various denominations have volunteered to work with Eddie’s Crabhouse of Chesapeake to distribute 2,000 free meals to the food insecure. The distribution dates are December 12 and 13.

Eddies’ Chesapeake Bay is owned by Sharon Clayton-Johnson and was selected to participate in the meals program by the TV show “The Profit”. The show’s founder, Marcus Lemonis, organized the program with a two-fold mission: to challenge Americans to give back to local restaurants and to help those that are insecure during this holiday season.

Johnson-Clayton and Eddie’s Chesapeake Bay Crabhouse are one of many Black-owned restaurants and locally owned restaurants that have been hit hard this year with decreased sales and profits due to restrictions and COVID-19. Along with her son Eddie, the restaurant’s namesake, Johnson-Clayton will be working hard to deliver over 2000 hot meals to those that are food insecure.

Participating churches located in Chesapeake, Norfolk and Portsmouth have offered to be distribution sites for these hot meals and other organizations have engaged by offering volunteers to hand out the meals. The churches include The Mount, Solid Rock Cogic, Gabriel Chapel AME Zion, First Baptist Church South Hill, Olive Grove Baptist, Faith World Ministries, Calvary Revival, New Berean Baptist Church, Second Calvary, Woodland Avenue Baptist Church and Tabernacle Worship Center.

Eddie’s Crabhouse was referred to Lemons by local native Pharrell Williams in the spirit of “Something in the Water”. The restaurant, located at 2592 Campostella Rd, Chesapeake, VA 23324, is acknowledged as the oldest restaurant in Chesapeake, VA with Johnson-Clayton owning it the last 23 years.

Johnson-Clayton is a Commissioner for Redevelopment of South Norfolk serving as Vice Chair. Eddie’s is open Mon-Saturday year around from 12 p.m- 6 p.m. and serves customers worldwide. Ironically is positioned near a food desert in South Norfolk Virginia.

Marcus and Bobbi Lemonis created The Lemon-AID Foundation with a $50 million pledge, aimed at providing opportunities by investing in underserved communities and small businesses.

Through a $1 million donation from The Lemon-Aid Foundation and in partnership with Grubhub, Marcus Lemonis is kickstarting the meals plan which he has named the “Plating Change” program.