Daddy Joe's Beach House setting for Literacy Association fundraiser

The Cherokee County Literacy Association is hoping Daddy Joe's Beach House BBQ and Grill and Sunday lunch can be the recipe for success this weekend, when the restaurant opens for a rare Sunday buffet fundraiser.

"Normally, Daddy Joe's is not open on Sunday," Literacy Association Board Member Steve Wong said. "But Shag Stepp has graciously agreed to help us in this charitable effort by opening on Oct. 15, and basically giving us his profits for the day. We are certainly grateful to Shag and hope everyone looking for a place to eat after church that day will stop by for some of the best barbecue in South Carolina. Actually, according to Southern Living Magazine, Daddy Joe's barbecue is some of the very best in the South, having gained that distinction twice in recent years."

According to the latest U.S. census information, 23 percent of the adults in Cherokee County read at or below 'reading level 1.' A person at this level would probably have problems finding an intersection on a road map.

"According to the statistics, these people are functionally illiterate," Wong said. "Having that large of a percentage of the population not being able to read is certainly a drawback in this community. The Literacy Association tries to correct this problem by teaching adults to read. We can help people who cannot read at all and get them to about the fourth grade level. But we need help. We need the reading public to help non-readers find us. We need more tutors. And, of course, we need cash flow for books, rent and salaries."

Personal time is the key for the teaching to work.

"Our literacy association's primary method of teaching people to read is to pair clients with tutors in a one-on-one situation," said Rev. Dewitt Clyde, the executive director of the association. "The tutors go through a 9-hour workshop to prepare them for these sessions. Our goal is to help everyone in the county learn to read. Now, we realize that is a high expectation, but we think with our dedicated volunteers we can achieve that."

The buffet at Daddy Joe's will feature some of the restaurant's favorite meals.

"The menu will consist of chopped pork barbecue, Calabash chicken, baked beans, hush puppies, French fries, cole slaw and tea. Desserts donated by local citizens will be sold separately. The service will begin at 11 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. That should be plenty of time for everyone to drop by," Wong said.

Per adult the cost is $10; children 8 years old and younger will be $5. Tickets will be sold at the door, but the public is encouraged to buy tickets in advance by calling the Literacy Office at 487-2707.

Corporate sponsors for this event are Hamrick's, The Gaffney Ledger, the Gaffney Board of Public Works, Alcoa, and Upstate Carolina Medical Center.

In keeping with their commitment to volunteering, Literacy Association board members will serve as wait staff at Daddy Joe's for the day.

"Investing your time, effort and resources in helping others read is one way to improve the world in which we live," Wong added. "Just think how much better life would be for everyone, if more people could read."