St. Louis Restaurants Launch Thanksgiving Food Drive to Support Operation Food Search

Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken has partnered with Hotshots Sports Bar & Grill to launch Countdown to Thanksgiving, a St. Louis community initiative running through November 21 to help local families in need. Guests can participate at all 15 Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken locations and 9 Hotshots Sports Bar & Grill locations across the St. Louis region by donating non-perishable food items such as canned vegetables, beans, pasta, rice, peanut butter, and boxed meals. Contributions will support Operation Food Search, a St. Louis-based nonprofit dedicated to fighting hunger and improving access to nutritious food in the community.

Those who donate receive a complimentary Coca-Cola beverage and can enter to win $100 gift cards from Lee's and Hotshots, as well as four home game hockey tickets. This effort is supported by Coca-Cola and 101 ESPN Radio to uplift local families this season. The need across our community is urgent, and the team at Operation Food Search is working tirelessly to continue their incredible efforts supporting families across our region, said Dan Sokolik, Vice President of Marketing at Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken. We're proud to stand with our friends at Hotshots and our partners at Coca-Cola to help St. Louis families feel supported this Thanksgiving.

Efforts like this and our year-round program with GiftAMeal are part of our larger mission to bring comfort and care to the communities we call home. Lee's ongoing partnership with GiftAMeal, which turns guest dining experiences into meals for local families, inspired this broader effort to address food insecurity on multiple fronts. Guests can participate simply by scanning the GiftAMeal QR code found inside Lee's restaurants or printed on select packaging such as boxes and cups. The scan opens a quick mobile web experience where guests can take a photo of their meal to trigger a donation that provides groceries to a nearby food bank.

Sharing the photo on social media helps provide even more meals, making it an easy way for guests to turn their Lee's visit into a moment of giving. St. Louis residents and Lee's guests nationwide can continue supporting local food banks throughout the year through GiftAMeal, helping ensure that every meal enjoyed at Lee's contributes to feeding families in need. For more information about Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken, visit leesfamousrecipe.com.