For one North Texas family, Thanksgiving dinner means putting their own plans on hold, so they can feed others in need.
For the Robidoux's of Flower Mound, Thanksgiving -- means family.
"It's the one time we really all work well together," laughed Josie Robidoux as she, husband Brian and the rest of the family prepared a holiday feast. Speaking of food, there was a ton of it. They worked all night Wednesday, and were up at 6am Thursday.
"I cook to feed an army so we always have plenty," she said.
But this meal is not intended for this family. They packed meals of turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and all the fixings into styrofoam containers, and hit the road in search of folks who could use it more than them.
The Robidoux's started delivering food and supplies to the homeless three years ago.
"It's always a warm welcome and a smile," said Josie. "I think if you approach them with that smile, that's what you get back."
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The family handed out between 75 and 80 meals to homeless folks across the Metroplex, also delivering dozens of hoodies, blankets and care packages for people living in wooded areas, fields, under bridges and on the streets.
Each meal is also delivered with a hug, a simple reassurance that can mean the world, especially when the world seems to pass them by.
"I'm so thankful," said Tonya Bradley, who lives beneath a Dallas bridge with her husband. "Gotta be thankful for what people give you. It's a blessing every day."
Josie Robidoux says there was one moment when she knew the family had to do this. Her own daughter struggled with addiction. Josie was driving one day when she noticed a homeless person. She wondered, what if that was her?
"And I would hope someone out there would be kind to them in a world that's not really kind," she said.
The Robidoux's won't eat their Thanksgiving meal until Friday. No food needed to find the true meaning of the holiday.
"They're not nobody. They're somebody. And they were somebody's somebody at one time," said Josie of the people her family met, and helped. "I walk away from this day with a very full heart."
