By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Paris, Tenn.—Heather and Tony Gerweck will be giving back to the community that they say has given them so much—and they’re doing it in a big way.
On Thanksgiving morning, they’ll be serving free homemade Thanksgiving meals to anyone in need, anyone who has to work that day and will miss out on the big Thanksgiving meal or for the people who have no family to eat with on the holiday.
Heather and Tony operate Heather’s Street Food, a food truck in Paris that has grown quite a following since it opened a year ago will be serving 250 free meals beginning at 10:30 a.m. Thursday until they are all given out. “It will be first-come, first-served and one meal per person,” Heather said. “We’re expecting to have all of the meals given out in 90 minutes or so.”
Heather made the first announcement of the couple’s plans shortly after Halloween on her Facebook page, but didn’t expect what followed. Donations have poured in from private donors and local businesses, all wanting to help with the endeavor. She said the couple have been overwhelmed by all the donations, which have come in most every day. “People have been so giving and so generous,” she said.
Heather and Tony are preparing the meals right on their food truck. “All the food is prepped and cooked on the truck. I have two commercial upright fridges and an eight-pan fridge. I also have two roasting pans, one convection oven and several warmers on board,” she said.
The meals will include turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, cranberry sauce, dinner roll, butter and jelly.
On the outside of the food truck will be a Continental breakfast of fresh fruit, muffins and a drink.
To make all the meals is a gigantic task, but with the help of all the donations, it will be done. Clifty Farms donated all the ham for the meals. Heather and Tony will be cooking nine turkeys and the other donations include 37 cans of cranberry sauce, three cases of sweet potatoes, eight gallons of gravy, 12 jars of jelly, 51 pies, five cases of sodas, two cases of water and the list goes on and on.
Heather’s Street Food is parked every day at the parking lot at Fred’s discount store at 850 Volunteer Dr., Paris.
Heather said, “I hope the word gets out to all the people who need a meal and all the people at the hospital, the police station, the sheriff’s office, the fire department—everyone who has to work that day.”
The local community “has been so good to us, so good to people who were starting a small business and we just wanted to say thanks,” she said.
Photo by Shannon McFarlin.
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