This story has been updated
GREENFIELD — Since opening Lincoln Square Pancake House in Greenfield nine years ago, Costas Stylianou has earned a reputation as a generous business owner.
Those who know him say he’s always been quick to pitch in for community events. This week, he did it again, stepping up to prepare 100 meals after a COVID case at the Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen brought meal service there to a halt.
“He doesn’t do it for the credit. He’s just an amazing man” said Jill Ebbert, director at the downtown Greenfield soup kitchen.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryIt’s been a challenging year for Stylianou, who also owns the Lincoln Square Pancake House in Fortville. He opened his newest restaurant, Costa’s Grill in Greenfield, earlier this year.
Costa’s Grill, a Greek restaurant celebrating the owner’s heritage, is where Thursday’s meals for the soup kitchen were being prepared.
Ebbert didn’t mention Stylianou by name when first sharing the news on Facebook, but the benefactor’s identity quickly spread.
“An amazing community member with a commercial kitchen has stepped up to provide meals for lunch and supper, and the National Guard has volunteered to serve them,” Ebbert posted on the soup kitchen’s Facebook page Wednesday evening.
Guard members were on hand to serve the meals from 11:30 to 1 p.m. Thursday at the National Guard Armory, at 410 Apple St. in Greenfield. Take-home meals were also be available for supper.
The soup kitchen, at 202 E. Main St. in Greenfield, serves approximately 100 people a day.
Due to a COVID-19 exposure that was identified this week, the kitchen will be closed temporarily. The soup kitchen also closed for a time in the summer.
“We will do whatever is necessary to reopen as soon as possible,” Ebbert said in her Facebook post. “We appreciate your understanding and prayer as we deal with this difficult situation for our staff and for those people we serve.”
Lesley Holland, who facilitates the Hands and Feet ministry at Park Chapel Christian Church in Greenfield, was among those praising Stylianou for stepping in so quickly to help the soup kitchen this week.
“Huge shout out to Costa’s Grill and Costas himself! He’s such a genuine and helpful man,” Holland said in an email shared with the Daily Reporter.
Ebbert initially reached out to Park Chapel for help when the kitchen’s COVID closure came to light. Holland reached out to Stylianou, and within a short amount of time the plan was set to prepare Thursday’s meals at Costa’s Grill and to serve them at the armory.
“I called Costa’s Grill just to see if they could possibly help out, and Costas immediately took on the whole task. I was and still am floored,” Holland said.
“He didn’t want a tax write-off or anything. He accepted the challenge head on and is doing it with a smile and a huge generous loving heart,” she said. “This was God’s doing the whole way through.”
To Stylianou, it was simply the right thing to do. “I was happy to do it,” he said.
This story was changed to clarify that the county health department will not decide when the soup kitchen will reopen; and to correct the date the kitchen shut down earlier this year.
