“It’s very emotional for a lot of these people,” Slicker’s Eatery is providing a free meal to the community

CORTEZ, Fla. (WWSB) – Nearly 100 people filled the parking lot of Slicker’s Eatery in Cortez on Friday night. The event was called “Porch Party with a Purpose” and Bob Slicker, the owner, said it was a way to distract people from the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The event started at 5:30 p.m. and lasted until 7:30 p.m. with food, beer and live music.

“Just an old-fashioned party to make people aware of everything we do every day, and as you know, you see it when you drive here,” Slicker said.

Slicker pointed to the debris that still lines parts of the streets in Cortez. He said the party had another purpose: raising funds for his employees. Slicker explained that many of the employees live in Cortez and are also dealing with their own damage at home. He said they also haven’t received paychecks in over 20 days because the restaurant is closed.

“What we didn’t suffer from water damage in the first one, we suffered from wind damage in the second one. We are all grateful. So as far as we know, we all made it,” Slicker said.

For residents like Terri Dinius, who often comes to Slicker’s, showing up on Friday was a no-brainer. She said the most important thing is for everyone to come together.

“It’s very emotional for a lot of these people. They lost everything and just knowing that there is hope that they will rebuild, it will take a while and tourism will go down but they will come back,” Dinius said.

While it doesn’t change the reality of people going home and facing the damage, Slicker said it shows the strength of the community and that no storm can truly destroy it.

He has a similar event planned for Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m

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