Love for their childhood neighborhood combined with cooking talents and a big supply of food are prompting two Oil City sisters to offer a bountiful spread for Thanksgiving.
“This neighborhood is our family and so we are just trying to help our family,” said Heidi Wise, who owns and operates Heath’s Market on the city’s North Side with her sister Rebecca Colvin. “And, the need is greater than ever.”
Heath’s, which the sisters re-opened in 2018 after the longtime deli and market had been closed for four years, is offering free full-fledged holiday meals from 1 to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving day. The meals are available free of charge to all.
“Last year, we fed 175 people in-house, cooked 20 turkeys and any leftovers went to our police departments and fire departments. We were really happy about it but there had to be changes made this year,” said Colvin.
The meals will be takeouts available either through drive-in service or walk-through service at the store. The sisters are asking patrons to call the market at 670-0555 now through 6 p.m. Wednesday to order the meals.
“There is no limit on the numbers – everyone will eat,” said Wise. “You can order for one person, six people, it doesn’t matter. And if you know a neighbor will be home alone on Thanksgiving, order for that person, too.”
Overwhelming generosity
Last year, a range of products as well as money were donated by residents as well as businesses to Heath’s to help defray costs.
“We don’t ask for help but people came in with all sorts of food. One lady brought in a 10-pound sack of potatoes. Other people donated money. One lady put cash into envelopes and asked us to distribute them to people we thought might need a little help. People are so generous,” said Wise.
That generosity showed itself again during this week’s widespread power outages, a predicament that could have spoiled the Thanksgiving foodstuffs because of loss of refrigeration at Heath’s.
“We had local businesses and individuals calling us and offering their freezer space,” said Colvin. “We just live in such a wonderful community.”
There are two other projects that will run concurrently with the Thanksgiving meal, said the sisters.
People who buy the dinners are encouraged to take a non-perishable food item for distribution to the Community Services agency. The store also features a giving tree where donated children’s winter clothing is collected.
“That tree started with our own kids with snow pants and jackets and other stuff hanging off it,” said Wise. “And then it just grew – you can put extra clothing items you might have there or take whatever you need. One neighbor made homemade scarves and put them there for someone to use.”
The sisters, who grew up on nearby Hoffman Avenue, agreed the free meal effort is like a payback to their friends and neighbors.
“We do this because we love our community, our neighborhood,” said Colvin. “We all need to be here for each other., especially now as times are hard.”
