Lew's BBQ owner seeks volunteers in Everett

Avery “Lew” Lewis, the owner of Lew’s BBQ in Everett, Washington, is asking for help keeping his restaurant going while he fights cancer, according to a social-media appeal that circulated Tuesday. The post, shared by local account Choeshow, said Lewis needed volunteers at the restaurant that day and described him as continuing his outreach work even during treatment. Mia Lewis, who organized a GoFundMe on his behalf, said her father was diagnosed with rectal cancer and had been placed on an aggressive treatment plan that included radiation and chemotherapy. Because he runs the restaurant “almost entirely by himself,” she wrote, treatment meant he would not be physically able to keep the doors open without help. ### Who is Avery “Lew” Lewis in Everett? (pugetpress.com) Avery Lewis opened Lew’s BBQ on August 20, 2011, at Pacific and Fulton in Everett, according to a 2023 profile by My Everett News. The restaurant is at 2703 Pacific Ave., and Lewis told the outlet he had spent years catering and working as a correctional officer before opening the business. My Everett News and Intentionalist both described Lewis as tying the restaurant to community work beyond food service. (gofundme.com) The reports said he created “Feed the Need,” a program that has collected donations and fed people experiencing homelessness in Everett for years. ### What do we know about his illness? Mia Lewis wrote on the fundraiser page that the family had “recently” learned of the diagnosis and that doctors had ordered treatment to start right away. (myeverettnews.com) She said the expected interruption to business was about one to two months while he focused on recovery. Puget Press reported on July 21 that Lewis was temporarily closing Lew’s BBQ during cancer treatment as his family sought financial support. (myeverettnews.com) The fundraiser page said the campaign was intended to help cover chemotherapy, bills and costs tied to keeping the restaurant afloat during the closure. ### Why are volunteers being sought now? Choeshow’s post said Lewis needed volunteers to help sustain operations at Lew’s BBQ in Everett on Tuesday. (gofundme.com) The post, as described in social briefing material provided to Reuters, said Lewis was still feeding homeless residents and running toy giveaways while seeking help to keep the restaurant operating. The GoFundMe offers one explanation for the urgency. (pugetpress.com) Mia Lewis said her father runs the restaurant as a “one-man show,” with help from his wife Karen, making staffing especially difficult once treatment began. ### What role has the restaurant played in the community? Lewis told My Everett News in 2023 that Lew’s BBQ was “a lighthouse for the community.” In the same profile, he said he had experienced homelessness and addiction himself and felt called to give back. (pugetpress.com) Seattle Refined and Intentionalist previously reported that community support had become part of the restaurant’s identity, with outreach efforts that included meals, donations and events for people in need. (gofundme.com) Those reports predate his diagnosis but help explain why the call for volunteers drew attention beyond the restaurant’s customer base. ### Where can people follow or help? (myeverettnews.com) Lew’s BBQ is listed at 2703 Pacific Ave. in Everett, Washington, and restaurant listings show regular hours of noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, though current operations may vary during Lewis’s treatment. The fundraiser organized by Mia Lewis remained live as of Tuesday, and the volunteer appeal was circulating through Choeshow’s social post. (seattlerefined.com) Mia Lewis said the family’s goal was to help cover medical costs and keep the business afloat during the treatment period. For now, the next concrete step is whether volunteers and donors can help bridge the one- to two-month disruption described on the fundraiser page. (gofundme.com) (myeverettnews.com)