"Wow, you must have a large family," a woman in Sam’s Club told Zach and Heather Smith a few years ago as the couple navigated a shopping cart overflowing with Thanksgiving dinner essentials into a checkout line. Zach explained that he enjoys giving back to the community by providing Thanksgiving dinners for the less fortunate. Touched by his efforts, the stranger offered him $20 to help with costs.
“We were blown away that a complete stranger was willing to help us out with what we do,” he said.
The size of the “family” of community groups and individuals being served each Thanksgiving, as well as the number of friends and relatives assisting with meal prep and deliveries, has grown significantly each year since Zach, Heather, and Hoang Duong Jr., owner of The Wok restaurant, began organizing their own Thanksgiving meal distribution in Lexington.
Their efforts have expanded from serving a few hundred people in 2021 to serving about 1,000 meals last year.
Duong and Zach Smith have been friends since high school. Zach went into the IT field and works for the University of Kentucky, though he says he considers cooking to be his “love language.” Duong’s restaurant, The Wok, recently celebrated its fifth anniversary.
“(Zach) started it. He would make a Thanksgiving dinner and then he would give the leftovers out to friends or whomever needed them,” Duong said. “The following year, he started making a little extra. He has a heart for service, for community, and for giving, and so do I. He wanted to be more intentional about giving food out to those in need, and he contacted me … and we brainstormed.”
They decided the big distribution day would be the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Wok serves as the preparation hub and primary meal pickup site for individuals in need, and groups like Lighthouse Ministries, Hope Center, and a few others also help distribute meals to their clients.
Friends and family pitch in to help, and others who hear about the effort have donated money and time as well.
The Wok restaurant serves as a base of operations where volunteers pitch in to prepare and serve more than 1,000 Thanksgiving meals to those in need.
“Demand has gone up every year,” Duong said. “We were a little nervous last year because we weren’t getting as many donations, but then people just started pouring in to help.”
While Heather Smith oversees logistics for meal planning and delivery, Zach said he’s mainly tasked with cooking and purchasing.
“As people donate, I make more and more trips to Sam’s Club and GFS [Gordon Food Service Store] … and the more people we’re able to feed,” he said.
Duong plans and prepares an assortment of side dishes at his restaurant. Along with sliced turkey, the meals typically include mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, baked beans, seasoned corn, bread or a roll, and, occasionally, cranberry sauce.
“We discussed doing something different even, like turkey chili,” he said. “It all depends on the help we get, the need, and what’s going on.”
If the trend continues with even more people in need of a hot meal on the post-Thanksgiving Saturday, there are ways the community can help, Duong said.
“They’re always welcome to volunteer or donate, or let us know if there’s a particular foundation or someone in need,” he said, adding that Lighthouse Ministries and Hope Center are just a few of the many local organizations with year-round needs that people can support.
For Duong, meal distribution day is a whirlwind of cooking and cleaning, without much face-to-face interaction with those receiving the meals. Still, it’s a blessing to know he’s made a difference.
“When you see so many people willing to help, it gives you a little more hope in humanity,” he said.
Zach echoed his friend’s sentiments.
“I’m just thankful for all of our friends and family who come together to help us do this,” he said. “There’s no way we could accomplish all that we have without the support of the community.”
For more information, visit the Facebook group Wok with Friends to Fight Hunger.