OXFORD — The owners of a local diner say they don’t want anyone to go hungry.

Amanda and Aaron Ouellette of Mechanic Falls, owners of the 1950s-style Daddy O’s on Route 26 in the Oxford Plaza, have announced on their Facebook page they want to do their part to ensure no one goes hungry.

Beginning this month they will host a monthly series of Community Dinners for free or a donation. The money raised will go to a different area food pantry each month.

The first free (or by donation) dinner – Shepard’s Pie – will be held on Thursday, Jan. 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. The proceeds (from the donations) will benefit the West Paris food pantry. Next month, the money will go toward a different pantry.

“It was just kind of in our hearts for a long time,” said Amanda Ouellette, who along with her husband, Aaron, opened the diner about eight years ago on Route 26.

And during the last five years – including this year after the business moved to a new expanded site at 1570 Main St. – the diner has been offering a free Thanksgiving day meal to anyone in need.

This past Thanksgiving, the couple donated $3,650 to the Helping Hands Food Pantry in Oxford and a heating assistance fund to help keep needy Oxford residents keep warm this winter.

“This is an extension of that,” said Amanda of the free dinner idea.

Now the generosity of the couple has expanded to local area food pantries.

“We’ve had a lot of people express interest and to volunteer,” said Amanda Ouellette. The diner’s Facebook logged had nearly 250 likes, 168 shares and 28 comments ranging from “Truly amazing” to “Sign me up. I want to help,” during the first few hours after posting the announcement on their page.

“It’s awesome,” she said.

In February, the popular restaurant made a 3-mile move north along Route 26 from its site next to Oxford Plains Speedway to a new site on Main Street in Oxford in the former Flagship Cinema building, which provided the owners with much more seating capacity and room to expand the kitchen, said Amanda Ouellette.

Kitchen equipment, a lunch counter and dining room seating for around 80 to 100 people to enjoy the 1950s-style menu was installed, doubling the diner’s capacity. The restaurant opened in April at its new site. The diner’s popular license plate collection has also doubled since the move.

“This whole building has been a blessing for us since we moved,” said Aaron Ouellette. “It’s been phenomenal.”

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