Willie Fairley became nationally famous for his generosity and barbecue following the August 2020 derecho. In the aftermath, he fed his fellow Cedar Rapidians who found themselves without power, and some cases, suddenly without a home. Since then, Fairley has continued his charitable work, as his Cedar Rapids drive-thru restaurant, Willie Ray’s Q Shack, has thrived.
On Tuesday, he’ll be feeding folks for free again, as a way of sharing Thanksgiving with the community.
In a Facebook post on Monday morning, Fairley announced Willie Ray’s Q Shack will be distributing meals for free, from the time it opens at 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning until the food runs out.
“We plan on giving out 250-300 meals,” he said in the post.
Available meals will have either ribs, rib tips, pulled pork or brisket as the entree, and sides including baked beans, potato salad, ro-mac and corn. There will be a limit of one meal per person, so the number of meals provided will depend on the number of people in the vehicle.
“Hope to see all your beautiful faces,” Fairley said at the end of his post.
Willie Ray’s Q Shack is located at 288 Blairs Ferry Rd, Cedar Rapids. It is closed on Mondays, and while it is normally open Tuesday through Saturday, for Thanksgiving week it will only be open on Tuesday.
