After 25 years in Key West, Jim Gilleran knows residents need a cold beer, a hot meal and a place to reconnect after a hurricane.
While most bars and restaurants remain shuttered on Duval Street, Gilleran opened his 801 Bar hours after Hurricane Irma smashed past the island. He's kept his generator operating since, serving nearly 700-800 free meals a day.
On Thursday, the bar stools were packed with sweaty, unshowered, hungry residents anticipating a steak lunch while staff gave out bags of donated food and toiletries.
“Honey, you need anything?” asked a worker carrying a basket of facial wipes, toothpaste and tampons.
“My father taught me to take care of myself and my family so I can take care of my community,” Gilleran said on the day civilization slowly crept back into Key West, or at least as much as this idiosyncratic city at the very southern tip of the U.S. will allow.
Read the full story on Irma’s aftermath in Key West on MyPalmBeachPost.com
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