PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — We’ve all heard about the importance of being a good neighbor.
The piles of supplies constantly surrounding Matt Thorn prove he is one.
He opened up Relief Market and Grille in Shore Acres while staying at his friend’s house.
Thorn's home is getting repaired after Hurricane Helene pushed water inside.
“The water just kept getting higher. We topped out at 28 inches inside my house,” said Shore Acres resident Thorn.
He wasn’t the only one. Many homes in Shore Acres were badly damaged.
So Thorn wanted to help, becoming a central spot in the neighborhood where people could get supplies and food. Thorn's been cooking people breakfast, lunch, and dinner for weeks.
“When we do dinners or so forth, and everybody is sitting around the table and having conversations about life, especially when you’re dealing with a traumatic event, which this was, but having those smiles and being able to kind of find some sort of peace and value in each other, that’s just been super rewarding, and that’s what keeps me going with it,” said Thorn.
He’s created a space for everyone to gather and get through this together, even putting on events.
“It’s been really phenomenal to see everybody come together and just have a place to hang out and take a little breather and take your mind off the situation because this is a lot, you know, it’s a lot to deal with,” said Elena Rogachevsky, who lives in Shore Acres.
Thorn is making it easier for people, and he’s drawing on his own inspiration to do it.
“My grandmother was very poor, but her philosophy was that you always had a hot meal at Kate’s,” he said.
You always have a hot meal at Thorn's, too—free of charge, day in and day out.
“It’s become a full-time job,” said Thorn.
And he wouldn’t have it any other way, pairing his hard work with a positive attitude.
“You know, you kind of have to be. When you’re looking at all the piles and hearing some of the tragic stories of what people have lost, you know you have to. I don’t want people to overly dwell on that. I want them to find the silver, not the silver linings, but the positive aspects that can come out of things in the midst of tragedy,” he said.
Thorn reminds us that the sun always rises again.
“We lost all of our stuff. But we’ve also gained so much from all of this, too. New friends, new connections with a variety of people you never thought you were ever going to see or talk to,” said Thorn.
He’s not just helping Shore Acres.
“I also supply three other communities, so Riviera Bay, and Meadowlawn, and Reddington Beach, every once in a while, will swing by and pick up food. I pre-make it for them or supplies or whatever they might need. And so, in addition to Shore Acres and kind of Venetian and Snell Isle, I also supply three others,” said Thorn.
If you want to help with donations, monetary or otherwise, text Thorn at 202-200-0153.
The Relief Market and Grille is in need of canned goods, towels, toilet paper, and bed sheets.
