Brenda Melhus of Norway Brewing Company. Supplied photo

NORWAY — Yet another local restaurant is stepping up to help feed its neighbors during the coronavirus health emergency.

Norway Brewing Company is making a huge pasta feast for free pick-up on Thursday afternoon for anyone who stops by. This will be the second Thursday feed the brewery is offering. The first pasta dinner giveaway was on April 30.

“We have been blessed with a huge amount of encouragement from our community, and we feel like this is a good time for us to give back,” said co-owner Brenda Melhus. “We have had great support since we opened four years ago and we want to say thank you.”

Each meal is individually boxed and features Mama Brenda’s original meat sauce (or a vegan marinara option) and homemade bread. Melhus says it is a curbside-only pick up. “Please don’t come inside, we’ll come to you,” she said.

Since Maine restaurants were shuttered from dine-in service in March Norway Brewing has been open for food and beer to go on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Melhus said that beer sales have helped them keep things going during the shutdown. There will be no regular food service or beer for sale during the pasta feast giveaway.

Melhus said that the SAD 17 food service department donated many of the vegetables she is using to make the sauce with, as they have only been providing cold meals for students during distance learning.

Charlie Melhus of Norway Brewing prepares free take-out pasta dinners on Apr. 30. Supplied photo

“Huge thanks to SAD 17 for providing free meals to children in our area, as well as some of the produce for this event,” said Melhus.