Why 'Receipt Walls' Are Popping Up In Oklahoma Restaurants

The pandemic has brought the restaurant industry close together and encouraged businesses to support the community during this time of need. According to Forbes, a coalition of restaurants engaged in a massive fundraising campaign that collected donations that went towards keeping their businesses open and employees paid. These same restaurants also donated food to the needy and to local food banks to make sure anyone in a vulnerable position wouldn't go without food, while dealing with the brunt of the early lockdowns. This spirit of charity hasn't gone away, and select restaurants across Oklahoma have found a way to pay it forward by implementing receipt walls.

According to Fox, a growing number of restaurants across Miami, Oklahoma have started hosting receipt walls, where anyone can come in and pre-pay for a meal. The receipt for this meal gets tacked to a wall and anyone in need of a place to rest and a hot entree can claim one of the pre-paid receipts, no questions asked. The idea came to the owner of a local hot dog restaurant when the area faced two intense blizzards during February. The owner, wanting to make sure the homeless population and the needy could get a hot meal during the terrible weather, started the first receipt wall. Several businesses caught wind, and the charitable trend took off.

According to The Washington Post, the concept of receipt walls have crossed town lines and have now also popped up in Oklahoma towns Vinita and Grove. With the area supporting a wide population who face poverty, the receipt walls came as a welcome relief and the guarantee of not going hungry has helped raise morale in the community. Townsfolk love the concept, and many donate a meal or more a week. Over 100 meals have since been claimed, and the discreet way to get a meal ensures that no one feels embarrassed to ask about the deal. 

This latest act of charity has done a wealth of good for anyone in need in this pocket of Oklahoma. With such a great track record, you might even expect to see this charity model expand to a city near you. When you can pay it forward with a hot meal, you just can't help but feel good.