Couple Cooks and Delivers Thanksgiving Meals to Firefighters Across Shreveport

A couple and their many helpers spent Friday cooking Thanksgiving meals, then delivered them to firefighters all over Shreveport, Louisiana, on Saturday.

“Smoked turkeys, we got green bean casserole, we got mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, rolls, pumpkin pie, brownies from Papa Johns,” Alexis Parsley told KTBS.

On Saturday, she and her husband, Cody, loaded their cars with the food and water and distributed the items to firefighters living in stations across the city to save the teams from using their own money to foot the bill.

Alexis used to work in the ER at Willis-Knighton Pierremont Health Center where she got to know police officers, firefighters, and healthcare workers and says their example made her want to show them much they are appreciated.

“When you see everything, they do on the other side and what they go through…it really brings a special place to you to say ‘wow, they really do this for us,'” she commented.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Alexis thanked everyone who helped them accomplish their mission, writing, “This will continue every year…. we will grow and be able to bring more to the table”:

Allen Smith, who is the fire engineer at station number eight, said the gesture really meant a lot.

“There is so much going on in the world right now that… Nobody wants to hear about it, it’s bad. Just to know we have people out there like that keeps our hopes up. Thank you,” he commented.

Smith added that “being able to sit down around the dinner table and everybody is joking and telling stories… It’s a good time.”

On his Facebook page Sunday, Cody said it was “such a [sic] honor to be able to bless all these firefighters with THANKSGIVING food… we appreciate each and everyone [sic] of you!”