Hope Gibson, who works at Ole Gin House Barbecue in Elkmont, and her family know firsthand what it's like to enter the holidays missing a key member. Her son, Landon, died at age 12, four years ago, and this will mark their fifth Christmas without him.
For the first three of those Christmases, they donated to other families with sick children. Last year, about two weeks before Christmas, Gibson said she saw a segment on TV about meals for homeless individuals in Huntsville, and it sparked an idea for Elkmont.
"I was like, 'We need to do something,'" she said. "So, I called my mom and said, 'Do you think we could plan a dinner in two weeks?'"
She said her mom laughed off the idea, saying she couldn't do it but Gibson was welcome to. Two weeks later, Ole Gin House Barbecue opened its doors to anyone in the area who was without family on Christmas Day."We had about 50 people who came in to eat," Gibson said.
They had a good time, but Gibson's crew had prepared for many more than 50 — around 200. So, they packed the food in to-go plates, loaded it up in her mom's van and set off. "We went door-to-door with to-go plates and handed them out to people who wanted food," she said. Members of Elkmont Volunteer Fire Department helped deliver the meals to people the firefighters knew were homebound.
This year, Gibson and her family are gearing up to do it again, and she hopes even more people will turn out for the meal, which starts at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 25. Gibson said Ole Gin House's owner has donated two hams and kitchen space for smoking meats, while Gibson has purchased 11 turkeys and four hams.Her mom makes dressing from scratch. Her husband and daughters also help with preparations. Gibson said the menu will also include green beans, corn, gravy, cranberry sauce, desserts, rolls, tea and water.
"I'm not going to turn anyone away," she said. "If they're home by themselves on Christmas Day, they can come by and eat." She said her friends also volunteer to help, and customers have donated money to a jar she puts up during her shifts at the restaurant. For those who wish to donate online, a Facebook fundraiser is also set up at https://bit.ly/ElkmontChristmas. The meal will last until the food is gone — even if that means hopping back in her mom's van and going door-to-door for another year.
No comments:
Post a Comment