Hatboro Dish Wins $5,000 Grant

HATBORO, PA — A Hatboro restaurant is being honored for its work feeding the hungry during the coronavirus pandemic.

Hatboro Dish received a $5,000 grant from Beyond Spots & Dots, an advertising agency, in its Women-To-Women Grant Program. The program pledged $15,000 to three women-owned businesses and Hatboro Dish, owned by Jackie Evangelista, was the Pennsylvania winner.

The winners were selected after reviewing hundreds of applications and narrowing the pool down to 15 finalists, according to the agency, which has offices in Pittsburgh, Columbus, Ohio and Baltimore.

In awarding Hatboro Dish, the agency note that Evangelista's restaurant "has always made it a priority to treat every single customer like a family member and has served as a comfortable meeting hub for many in the area."

In March, as the coronavirus pandemic was spreading and businesses were shutting down, Hatboro Dish began feeding community members for free twice a week. Each night, the restaurant would serve takeout meals to more than 600 people.

The grant money will be used to continue supporting the community.

"It was a really difficult process to choose only three recipients," said Melanie Querry, founder and president of Beyond Spots & Dots. "Every application we reviewed had a story that resonated deeply with us. We truly wish we could help each and every applicant. As a woman-owned business, we empathize with what these businesses are currently experiencing. Female entrepreneurs have made such significant strides in the last few years, and it’s important now more than ever to continue supporting them."

The agency also awarded $5,000 each to businesses in Ohio and Maryland.