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photo by: Derek Redd
Raymond “Spaghetti Ray” Duane helps his friends at Ideal Provisions pass out food and other items at a giveaway Tuesday at Wheeling’s Heritage Port. Dozens braved the rain to take advantage of the event.
WHEELING — Ideal Provisions’ smoker rolled day and night this week to provide over 300 Thanksgiving meals for those in need across the Ohio Valley.
Setting up their tent at Heritage Port on Tuesday afternoon, the food truck’s owner and volunteers were ready to serve the line of over 20 people who braved the rain to get their turkey.
“What we’re handing out today is basically what we had available through our own means and donations as well,” explained Ideal Provisions owner Dean Barath in between trips to pick up more food. “We cook the meals in our with the smoker, so it’s a system that works out really well for us.”
On Tuesday’s menu were Thanksgiving staples such as smoked turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Servings of ribs were doled out, too, since Ideal Provisions received a hefty donation of ribs from Francis Mother Cabrini Catholic Church in Colerain, Ohio.
“I was up all night cooking ribs, so I feel like I’ve been torturing people with the smell of ribs today,” joked Barath. “If anyone smells their neighbor next door eating ribs tonight, it was probably from us.”
Providing the more than 100 meals handed out on Tuesday was an all-hands-on-deck operation for the Barath family. Carrie Barath was stationed at the food truck in Bridgeport already preparing meals for Wednesday’s handout, and Dean Barath circled back and forth to collect more meals hot off the smoker. Their son, Elijah Barath, assisted in handing out the meals in Wheeling with assistance from family friend Raymond “Spaghetti Ray” Duane.
“It’s sort of like a guerilla operation going on today,” described Duane. “I’m a part of this because you have to join in when someone is doing good for people, and that’s what Dean does here every year.”
The guerilla operation goes beyond the family. More than 10 local businesses provided food, money, clothes and other essentials for the handouts. Thanks to community donations, over 100 meals, 100 gloves, 125 hats, 100 jackets, 159 flannels, 60 tanks of propane, 25 turkeys and a ham were given away at their first hand-out in Bridgeport on Monday.
Having been “cleared out” of their clothes available on Monday only 15 minutes into their giveaway, Duane was particularly touched by the amount of clothing and monetary donations they had received afterward. More than four boxes filled with clothes were ready to go on Tuesday despite there being nothing left to give away less than 18 hours ago.
Tuesday’s efforts were already on course to match Monday’s, as all of the meals available had been handed out only a half-hour into the operation. Circling back to Bridgeport to grab more provisions during the giveaway, Dean Barath wanted to ensure everyone waiting got something.
Handing out donations under a canopy tent to avoid the onslaught of rain, Duane encouraged those waiting for the next round of meals to gather around and stay dry.
Having waited in line for an hour and 15 minutes before the drive began, Brandi Dunn and Stacie Zelkowski were eager to get out of the rain. The women were also thrilled to have ready-cooked meals while they were not in the best condition to cook for the holiday.
“My husband died recently, and it’s just me and my dog now, so I was like ‘I’m not gonna have a Thanksgiving,’” described Dunn. “A Salvation Army employee encouraged me to come here yesterday, so now I have my Thanksgiving.”
Still recovering from foot surgery two weeks ago, Zelkowski described being a “little limited” regarding her abilities to cook up a Thanksgiving meal. Now having some Ideal Provisions cooking ready for the holiday, she joked, “I could eat all four of these rolls right now.”
“I’m pumped because I’ve had their catered food before at parties, and it’s excellent,” said Zelkowski. “Last year for Thanksgiving, I had a burrito, so this year, I am so thankful to receive such a nice meal.”
For Dean Barath, stories like Dunn’s and Zelkowski’s are why he began doing the giveaway six years ago. Being able to provide not only food for Thanksgiving but a warm, delicious meal is important for the food truck owner.
“I love cooking, and I love seeing the smile on someone’s face when they bite into something good,” said Barath, who became choked up while recalling the giveaway’s impact on him. “It’s almost greedy for me to do this because I love it so much.”
Duane also became teary-eyed while recalling why he lends a hand at the drive each year. Having needed assistance before in his own life, to come face-to-face and provide for those in need during the holiday is the most important takeaway from the experience for Duane.
Emphasizing that he spends hours before Thanksgiving helping at the giveaway solely because Barath inspires him to do so, Duane noted the heart of the food truck owner.
“There are not many people in the valley like Dean,” said Duane. “This is thousands out of his own pocket and hours spent working during the holidays, but he just has that giving heart that drives him to do this.”
While their smoker will finally get a break Wednesday night after their last drop-off, Ideal Provisions will still accept clothes and monetary donations for their Christmas giveaway. To make a donation, contact Carrie Barath at carriebarath@yahoo.com.
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