Inspired by his late mother, Travis Owsley has found a way to give back to his community with a program called Beverly’s Hearty Slice.
Every two weeks, Owsley — a supervisor at St. Joseph Peace Mission — and other volunteers will be giving out free pizza slices and bottled water to the neighborhood.
Friday night was the second round of the program, named in honor of his mother Beverly Slaughter, whose legacy was carried on by Owsley.
“When she would barbeque or cook, she’d always invite people from the community to come and eat at our table with us,” Owsley said. “She was a sweetheart and had a contagious personality.”
Owsley said he would continue Beverly’s Hearty Slice every other week at Kendall-Perkins Park for the rest of the year before relocating to a new area. That way, he said, he can feed people who live in other neighborhoods.
With all of the division happening across the nation, Owsley said he wanted to come up with an idea that would bring people together.
“Something to unify us and bring some positivity back into our community,” he said.
Though Owsley purchases the food himself, he reached out to the president of Little Caesar’s about his idea and was able to secure a discount for the pizzas. Donations from the community have also gone toward the program, while a group of volunteers helps pass out pizza slices to anyone who wants one.
Karen Leachmen volunteered as a foster grandparent at Newton Parrish Elementary School for years before COVID-19 put that program on hold. Volunteering had always been a huge part of her life, so when she heard about Owsley’s desire to feed the community, she jumped at the chance to help.
“The program is for those who are 55 and older. I got my five years with the program this June,” Leachman said. “Even when they go back, we probably still won’t get to come back because there are so many regulations. I understand, but I had gotten to where it was part of my life.”
Owsley said his mother’s inspiration prompted him to start Beverly’s Hearty Slice, but ongoing issues within the Owensboro community added to his desire to get children off the streets, even if only for a couple of hours on a Friday night.
“A few dudes that I know got murdered — one of them right here on this street,” he said. “So when I saw that, and I saw that there was a lot of shootings going on — me driving by and seeing little kids walking around with beers, I said, ‘I gotta do something. I gotta do something now.’”
