Ashlee Graves was living in Maryland when she came up with an unconventional form of discipline for her kids. Whenever they got into trouble, Graves would have them make care packages and hand out food to people experiencing homelessness “to give them an understanding of what their life could be like.”
“Everybody isn’t as fortunate as you, so whenever you have the chance to do something good or do something nice for somebody else, you should always do it without expecting anything in return,” Graves told them.
But over time, the meal deliveries no longer felt like punishment.
Ambriel, then 3, grew to love cooking and giving back to her community. Now 13 and hoping to attend culinary school, she plans the family’s weekly menu and does most of the cooking in their Gainesville home, where they also serve free hot meals to the community about three days a week. Graves takes care of the shopping, setup and logistics.
When asked what she enjoys most about the work, Ambriel’s answer was simple: “Helping people.”
The operation, which they call Have a Heart Kitchen, runs almost entirely on donations and whatever the family can afford out of pocket. Most recently, they put together a spread that included customizable hot dogs, loaded fries, and the family’s signature “try pies” — triangular pockets of fried dough stuffed with beef, chicken, or vegan fillings. They also sometimes serve drinks and desserts, including frosted fruit lemonades and fried pound cake boats topped with house-made strawberry or blueberry compote and ice cream.
Graves has always given back, even while enduring hard times of her own. Before she had children, she was homeless for five years. Later, while Ambriel was battling cancer, the family lost their savings to fraud and lived out of a car for eight months, but she still managed to prepare brown bag lunches with sandwiches and fruit to give away.
People are sometimes skeptical when they first hear Graves and Ambriel are giving out free meals, Graves said. But the mother-daughter duo has drawn praise from regular visitors, some of whom have offered to help promote Have a Heart Kitchen online. Their door stays open even on days they aren’t cooking. Anyone who knocks and says they’re hungry gets fed from a stash of those same brown bag lunches Ambriel keeps on hand just in case.
“Anybody who’s hungry, even if it’s a parent that doesn’t feel like cooking [one day], they could stop by with their kids and grab a meal, so that they can take a break, Graves said. “You know, sometimes parents are tired. A lot of parents work two or three jobs, some of them are, you know, getting home late, and they don’t really feel like cooking, so we just kind of do this to help out, just to give somebody a break.”
Those interested in donating food, supplies, or money can reach Have a Heart Kitchen through their Facebook group.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Cooking with heart, a Gainesville family helps feed those in need
Reporting by Chelsea Long, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Chelsea Long, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
