McDonald's sending 'McRig' to serve free meals in Port Charlotte following Hurricane Ian

Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·2 min read

The locations providing free meals to those in need in Southwest Florida following Hurricane Ian's devastation will soon include a local McDonald's.

A "McRig," a full-sized tractor-trailer with a nearly complete McDonald’s kitchen, plans to serve thousands of free, hot meals to Southwest Florida residents impacted by the hurricane, according to a press release. The McRig will be set up in the parking lot of McDonald's at 13418 S. McCall Road in Port Charlotte, with meals available Wednesday, Oct. 5 through Saturday, Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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The freshly prepared grab-and-go meals will include cheeseburgers, McNuggets, French fries, apple slices and bottled water. Employees will hand out the meals through a makeshift drive-thru set up on the restaurant parking lot, with an additional walk-up ordering area for those arriving by foot, and guide traffic into the parking lot to help keep the lines moving as quickly as possible.

A Port Charlotte McDonald's will be offering free, hot meals to those affected by Hurricane Ian starting Wednesday, Oct. 5.
A Port Charlotte McDonald's will be offering free, hot meals to those affected by Hurricane Ian starting Wednesday, Oct. 5.

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“We are devastated by the catastrophic aftermath of Hurricane Ian to so many of our local communities across Florida,” said Amy Rodriguez, who owns and operates the McDonald's along with Brenda Symons and Sergio Rodriguez, in a statement. “As soon as we saw the extent of the devastation to Southwest Florida, we began efforts to bring the McDonald’s McRig down to Florida. We take pride in supporting the communities we serve and look forward to doing our part by offering hot meals to the Port Charlotte and Englewood communities as we begin to recover from this heartbreaking disaster.”

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In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which particularly devastated Southwest Florida, numerous organizations have offered humanitarian relief to the area, including ones serving hot meals. World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit founded by celebrity chef José Andrés that provides meals in the wake of disasters, currently has a kitchen in Fort Myers distributing food to sites such as Port Charlotte, Englewood and Cape Coral, also working with restaurant and food truck partners including Sarasota's Michael's on East.

Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Port Charlotte McDonald's to serve free meals after Hurricane Ian