BELMONT — John Knight grew up watching his father, Art, run the grocery store at Knight’s Corner. When times were tough for customers, Art would allow them to skip paying and instead sign a receipt for what they owed.

“Even in my later years, he ran charge accounts. … It always got me, because you do that and some people don’t pay,” John Knight says, speaking from a semi trailer parked on the same property.

If someone didn’t pay his dad back at the store, Art’s thought was, “You know they needed it worse than I do,” John said.

A trailer-turned-commercial-kitchen sits in front of the former grocery store at Yellowwood Road and State Road 46 West. This is where John and his wife, Ginger, operate Johnny’s Grub to Go.

Now, it’s their turn to help. Anyone is need of a hot meal during these trying times can give Ginger a call to get something off the “Loving Menu.”

John and Ginger opened Johnny’s Grub to Go in a food truck on the property in September 2017.

The truck was soon replaced by a larger semi-trailer that was converted into a commercial kitchen to meet the demand for Ginger’s signature dishes — from Asian rice bowls, tenderloins and corndogs breaded in Panko, to egg rolls made with beef, to an old-fashioned cheeseburger. She also serves all-day breakfast now, too.

A variety of Filipino dishes are also on the menu. Ginger is originally from the Philippines.

Even before the COVID-19, this was already a walk-up cafe with no indoor seating. With a change or two, Johnny’s Grub to Go has been able to maintain normal business hours in the midst of the pandemic.

“We put up a protective glass with a small opening at the bottom (at the ordering window). At least, that way, we’re doing what we can.

“We always said dining rooms are overrated,” John said.

“Brown County is our dining room. … For me, it would be great to grab a meal, go sit at the end of Yellowwood and watch the geese. There’s no dining room like that.”

Ginger said offering meals to his community for whatever they could pay was John’s birthday wish. Like it takes a village to raise a child, John said it takes a village to beat a pandemic.

“Even though we’re not in the heart of Brown County, Brown County is in my heart. This is all I know,” John said.

“If a guy comes in and says, ‘I have four kids, a wife. I got $5.’ Hopefully in six months, he can stop in and say, ‘Hey, things are better. Here is a couple of bucks.’ That’s what we were after.”

As soon as the news of the “Loving Menu” hit Facebook, donations also started rolling in from the community to support the effort. “There was a guy who donated $100. He stopped in and said, ‘Hey that’s great,’” John said.

“After the Facebook post, I received phone calls for donations from people in Brown County. They supported it on the very first day,” Ginger added.

“The customers ordered a lot of food, and at the same time, they also gave donations.”

Anyone who is need of a meal can reach Ginger through the Johnny’s Grub to Go Facebook page.

Unopened food and money donations also can be dropped off at the food truck.

After receiving the monetary donations, the Knights loaded up their truck with supplies on their weekly Sam’s Club run.

One woman told Ginger she had recently been laid off, so Ginger sent her home with warm meals and a bag of extra groceries.

The couple estimates they’ve given meals to about 20 people who are in need with no questions asked.

“It warmed my heart and showed me that there are still truly kind people in this tough time. She even waited for us to pick it up after she had most likely already closed. What a generous soul. We loved it and enjoyed it,” one person commented on Facebook.

“It’s a blessing to cross paths with someone so caring right now when we are struggling along with the rest of the world. I will never forget this act of compassion.”

John will never forget how excited a little girl was when her mom pulled up to get a hot meal, and that makes it worth it.

He said he wants his family to be the first ones to step up and offer help when the going gets tough. “It’s a time for generosity, not greed,” he said.

When life returns to normal, John plans to add a smokehouse next to the food truck, a memorial shelter house in his grandpa’s old store with picnic tables inside, and a place for people to sit outside.

The couple is also working on their smaller food truck and getting it ready to move about the county if the need arises.

They are also working with The Salvation Army in Nashville to send folks their way if they need a hot meal.

And the couple doesn’t expect to just help people once. “We expect you to call. As long as we can do it,” John said.

“We’re blessed enough that grandpa had this corner.”