GIVING TO THE COMMUNITY HAS ALWAYS been in the blood of Janet Wrice and her family, so when the idea of providing a Christmas dinner for those less fortunate in Texas City’s 6th Street area, the vision quickly formed to reality.
Wrice’s BBQ hosted its first Betty Parker Holiday Dinner on Christmas Day, drawing nearly 250 people to the restaurant. No one was turned away as the dinner resulted in emptying out everything that had been cooked.
“It’s a grateful joy to feed people who may not know where their next meal is coming from,” she said. “If we can do this more often, then we want to do so. So many people were grateful for the fact that this had not been done before on 6th Street.”
The dinner, named after Wrice’s mother, originated in early December when the family began to discuss how they could give back to the community that had embraced them since the opening of their BBQ restaurant earlier in 2019. Being a family that usually celebrated Christmas early, the process quickly gained steam behind Wrice, her husband, Roosevelt, her mother and sisters Latecia Morris and Angla McGee. Family friends Kevin Sandles, Shaurile Matthews and Malik Harness also contributed to the planning, which took about two weeks.
Once the plan was in place, the family began spreading news of the event, taking fliers throughout the area, including shelters, nursing homes and apartment complexes.
Word spread, so much so that Wrice was stunned by the initial crowd.
“The line started around 9:30am,” she said. “We didn’t plan to start until 11:00am.”
Those who attended were able to eat for free, and no one was turned down for seconds. Wrice BBQ had six hams, 170 smoked thighs, five pans of both mashed potatoes and green beans, 200 rolls, 10 cases of soda and five cases of water.
“I didn’t think we would feed as many people as we did,” said Wrice, “but it was a blessing to be able to help. That’s where you truly get your blessings from.”
Another Christmas dinner is already in the works, but Wrice BBQ is also looking to see if it will able to provide those less fortunate with another opportunity or two before then.
