Hillcrest mom cooks hundreds of hot meals for first responders, volunteers

Hillcrest’s caring Karyn Smith, with support from her husband, Rhett, has cooked hundreds of hot meals for first responders, patrollers and those in need since Monday.

With a heart for others and a passion to help, Karyn first raided her own supplies to put together as many meals as possible for the men and women who spend hours at a time manning the entrances and exits around the area.

When her supplies for packaging ran low, she put out a call for donations on Facebook and the community responded in kind.

“When you ask for supplies of packing and the community comes together and complete strangers drop off at your gate, I am humbled,” she said.

Inundated with donations, she was quick to put out a notice for anyone else in need of packaging to help support the frontline workers, to contact her.

“Sadly, there are not enough supplies to fill them all, so I am happy to share,” said a determined Karyn.

Both her and Rhett spent hours in the kitchen preparing hearty and wholesome home-cooked meals.

“I just want to thank everyone in our area who rallied to help! Be it the lending of pots and packaging to the donation of mushrooms, drinks and snacks. Our kitchen is chaos, our wallets are empty, our feet are sore but our hearts are full,” she smiled.

The duo were able to purchase enough food today to feed 100 patrollers this evening.

“I am not sure how much longer we will be able to, but while we have the time and the funds, we will!”

In addition to this, the professional chef has also been selling ready-made meals at minimal prices to families and individuals who have either run out of supplies or are unable to reach stores or shops.

Karyn thanked the team at Hillcrest KwikSPAR for their continued support.