North Carolina Couple Serves Home-Cooked Meals to College Students (Exclusive) - PEOPLE

When Rachael Sullivan and her husband Tom learned that their family friend's son, a student at North Carolina State University, had his freshman year disrupted due to the pandemic, they invited him to join them for a home-cooked meal.

During Kevin's first visits, he quickly picked up the Tupperware and left within 50 seconds. However, as time passed, Rachael and Tom noticed Kevin lingering longer.

He began staying to hang out and chat with them, sometimes even stopping by only to drop off the Tupperware. As this became a regular occurrence, Rachael, 31, began recording short videos of Kevin and sending them to his mom.

"I was like, 'Don't worry, we're taking care of Kevin. He's enjoying good meals,' " Rachael shares exclusively with PEOPLE.

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Tom Sullivan prepares food for college students.

Courtesy of Rachael Sullivan

Over several weeks, she accumulated 10 or 11 clips of Kevin's visits. Rachael compiled them into a single video and posted it on TikTok. To their surprise, the video quickly went viral, garnering millions of views.

Soon, the comment section was also flooded with other college students expressing envy and asking how they could find someone like Kevin at their own schools.

Inspired by the positive response, Rachael and Tom ordered extra groceries one day. "If you're a college student, just bring your ID, we'll have food ready for you," Tom recalls them advertising on Instagram and TikTok.

"We weren't planning much and four kids came," Rachael adds. "It was Kevin, his two friends, and then a random person who we had never met, seen, or heard of, named Krista."

"She walked in, and Tom and I were like, 'Oh my God, this reached an audience!' I can't believe this actually happened. She filled up a Tupperware and told us how much she appreciated this," she continues.

Rachael shares, "She sent us a text after she had left, and that was kind of our realization that this meant so much to someone. As long as we have the means to do it, we want to continue."

Four years later, the Sullivans host now monthly meals. They have served thousands of college students throughout North Carolina.

They estimate that 70% of the students who show up are from NC State and North Carolina State University. They also have a huge flux from UNC, the University of Chapel Hill and Duke.

This past year, the couple also held two dinners on the road, one at the University of Virginia and Tennessee, hosting over 600 students at each event.

"We have students that drive from two, three hours out, every meal," Tom shares. "We'll always get someone who comes in and says, 'I'm from Charlotte,' or 'I'm from Elon'. "

"We've also had a student drive from Ball State, which was a 10-hour drive in," Rachael adds.

Tom Sullivan takes a selfie with college students.

Courtesy of Rachael Sullivan

When hosting, the couple spreads the food throughout the different rooms of their house and backyard. It's always grab-and-go style so students can use the food throughout the week as they need it or just their dinner for the night.

"Our house is chaotic. It is a Conga line, basically walking from our front door to our back door," Rachael says.

She adds, "They all come in and they hand sign a book, which is really cool. We've almost filled a full notebook now."

Tom, a self-taught cook who prepares all the meals from scratch, shares that when they first started, he began with easier meals like spaghetti dinners and chicken piccata before progressing to more intricate dishes, such as lamb meatballs and lobster.

He adds that everything he makes is gluten and dairy-free. Usually, if a meal is on Sunday, he'll start cooking on Wednesdays.

"I've cooked for I guess 20-plus years now, but it's always been my way to relax," Tom says. "I think that part of what I like about this is it brings joy. When I'm cooking, I don't have to sleep, I'll cook right through the night."

Rachael Sullivan and Tom Sullivan with their daughter serving meals to college students.

Courtesy of Rachael Sullivan

Over the years, the couple, who are also parents to daughter Sutton, have formed close bonds with the students they've served, including Kevin, who recently graduated college.

They receive regular invitations to graduation parties, check-in texts from former students they've hosted throughout the year and some attendees have even become their babysitters.

"It goes to show how sometimes you just need a little break, a warm meal goes a long way and opening your door, having a conversation can really turn somebody's day around," Rachael says.

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2024-06-13 23:29:41Z
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