IT'S
IT'S AMAZING WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO WHEN THEY GET INSPIRED TO HELP
OTHERS.
OTHERS.
OTHERS. OUR NEXT GUEST IS A CHEF WHO
HAS TAKEN HER INSPIRATION IN
THE KITCHEN INTO THE COMMUNITY
TO HELP FEED PEOPLE WHO WOULD
OTHERWISE GO WITHOUT.
I MARIA.
I MARIA.
I MARIA. >> HI GUYS, HOW ARE YOU?
BEE I'M DOING GREAT.
NOW FIRST OF ALL, LET'S GO BACK
TO THE BEGINNING OF THIS.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE THE
NONPROFIT AND WHAT IS IT ALL
ABOUT?
ABOUT?
ABOUT? >>
ABOUT? >> IT IS, THE IDEA WAS THERE
FOR MANY YEARS SINCE I RAN A
RESTAURANT FOR 20
THEY
THEY WERE
THEY WERE LOOKING IN THEIR POCKETS FOR THE EXTRA CHANGE TO
PAY FOR IT, AND I SAID DON'T
WORRY ABOUT IT, IT'S FINE.
IT'S ON ME.
AND THEN THE FIRE DESTROYED MY
RESTAURANT IN 2016 IN
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, AND I WAS
SURROUNDED BY THE RESPONSE OF
THE PEOPLE.
THE PEOPLE. THEY BROUGHT ME POTS AND PANS
AND FOOD.
AND FOOD.
AND FOOD. EVERY LETTER I OPENED HAD A
CHECK INSIDE OR $100 BILL.
SO WAS THERE.
THE STRESS WAS DEMANDING AND I
PUT ON THE SIDE AND I KEPT ON
AND ON AND ON.
UNTIL THIS CHRISTMAS, LAST
CHRISTMAS, THERE WAS A DINNER
THAT WAS HAPPENING EVERY YEAR
FOR FOUR YEARS.
SHE PASSED ON THE THIRD OF
DECEMBER WHEN I SAW IN SOCIAL
MEDIA, I REALIZE THAT THE FIRST
THING I REALIZED, YES OF
COURSE, I KNEW TANYA, I WAS
VOLUNTEERING FOR THIS DINNER.
SHE'S GONE.
SHE'S GONE. BUT IMMEDIATELY I THOUGHT, WHAT
ABOUT THE DINNER?
WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.
SO I GOT UP, I WENT TO THE
COMMUNITY CENTER AND I FOUND
THE DIRECTOR AND I SAID TO HIM,
WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE
DINNER?
DINNER?
DINNER? AND HE GOES, I DON'T KNOW.
I SAID, WELCOME TO DO IT.
AND HE SAID WELL, WE HAVE TO
ASK THE MAYOR.
AND I SAID OKAY, LET'S ASK THE
MAYOR.
MAYOR.
MAYOR. >>
MAYOR. >> THE MAYOR SAYS WE ARE GOING
TO ASK THE FAMILY.
SO HE TELLS ME WHAT THE FAMILY
SAID.
SAID.
SAID. TONYA'S MOTHER CALLED ME AND
SAYS MARIA, PLEASE DO THE
DINNER.
DINNER.
DINNER. YOU DON'T NEED ANY
AUTHORIZATION.
AUTHORIZATION. AND I THINK YOU SO MUCH. SO I
STARTED PLANNING AND PLANNING
AND EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE
FIRST.
FIRST.
FIRST. EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. WHERE TO FIND THE FOOD, WHERE
TO FIND THE VOLUNTEERS, I ARTIE
HAD THE PLACE.
WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SIT DOWN
AT A DINNER INDOORS, BUT WE
WOULD DELIVER.
WOULD DELIVER. AND OPEN THE DOOR AND GIVE
MEALS TO THE PEOPLE THAT CAME
TO THE DOOR.
SO ONE THING IT WENT TO THE
OTHER, AND THE THIRD DAY AND
FOURTH DAY, PEOPLE STARTED
RESPONDING FROM EVERYWHERE.
I'M GOING TO BRING THIS, I'M
GOING TO BRING THIS, I'M GOING
TO BRING THIS.
DO YOU NEED MONEY, DO YOU NEED
TURKEYS, I'M GOING TO BRING A
DESSERT.
DESSERT.
DESSERT. OH MY GOD, WHAT'S HAPPENING
úHERE?
úHERE?
úHERE? SO
úHERE? SO THE DAY CAME FOR 25th OF
DECEMBER, WE HAD THE DINNER. I
CAN TELL YOU I DIDN'T SLEEP AT
ALL.
ALL.
ALL. ALL
ALL. ALL THIS TIME.
AND IT WAS SO SUCCESSFUL.
AT THE END OF THE DAY WHEN THE
CLEANING CREW CAME, THERE WERE
ABOUT, THEY SAID 39 MEALS LEFT.
WE FED AT 305 PEOPLE AND THERE
WAS STILL SOME LEFT. AND THE
LADY SAID, WHAT I'M GOING TO DO
WITH THIS MEAL?
AND I SAID PUT IT IN THE COOLER,
PUT IN THE FRIDGE AND TOMORROW
MORNING I'M GOING TO GO TO --
AND KNOCK ON DOORS AND
DISTRIBUTE THEM.
DISTRIBUTE THEM. SO JUST LIKE THAT.
THAT WAS THE FIRST THING THAT
CAME IN MY MIND.
SO IT HAPPEN.
THE NEXT DAY I WENT AND I
KNOCKED ON DOORS WITH MY
BROTHER AND WHEN ALL THE MEALS
WERE GONE, PEOPLE WERE JUST
OPENING THE DOORS AND ACCEPTING
THEM WITH PLEASURE AND MILD AND
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. THEN SHE ASKED ME, IF I'M GOING
TO DO THIS AGAIN, WHEN I'M
GOING TO DO IT, AND I WILL LET
HER KNOW.
HER KNOW.
HER KNOW. AND YOU KNOW SOMETHING, I THINK
I'M GOING TO DO THIS EVERY
WEEK.
WEEK.
WEEK. THIS IS JUST THE BEST THING
THAT I THINK I EVER DID IN MY
LIFE.
LIFE.
LIFE. AND
LIFE. AND I'VE DONE IT AND I'M DOING
IT AND BILL DOING IT.
>> THAT IS SO WONDERFUL.
IT'S SO GREAT THAT SO MANY
PEOPLE HAVE COME TOGETHER TO
MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
AND I KNOW THAT THE CHANGE IS
STILL PRETTY NEW SINCE IT JUST
KICKED OFF BY HAPPENSTANCE.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE
FUTURE?
FUTURE?
FUTURE? >> WELL, MY MISSION IS TO ALSO
HAVE THE BLESSING BOXES WHICH
WERE PROUDLY ANNOUNCED, THE
FIRST BLESSING BOXES PLACED
OUTSIDE MY DOOR.
PEOPLE ARE COMING, PUTTING
STUFF IN AND PEOPLE ARE COMING
AND TAKING STUFF OUT.
IT'S A BLESSING BOX SO I WANT
TO PLACE 100 OF THEM, MINUS ONE
THAT AUTHORITY PLACE, 99 LEFT
IN THE COUNTY AND ALSO THE
MISSION IS TO COOK EVERY WEEK.
SLOWLY GERT GOING TO MOVE TO
TWICE A WEEK AND SOON WITHIN A
YEAR WE WILL GO TO DAILY COOK
MEALS AND DISTRIBUTE THEM OR
PEOPLE WILL COME AND PICK THEM
UP.
UP.
UP. SO
UP. SO MY
UP. SO MY VISION IS NOBODY HUNGRY
ANYMORE IN FIVE YEARS IN HARDIN
COUNTY.
COUNTY.
COUNTY. AS LONG AS I'M AROUND, AS LONG
AS I AM ALIVE AND WELL, AND I
WILL GIVE EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. MY TIME, MY ENERGY, EVERYTHING
TO REACH MORE AND MORE AND MORE
PEOPLE IN NEED EVERY DAY.
BEE CHEF MARIA, YOU ARE
AMAZING.
AMAZING.
AMAZING. HERE IS THE.
AND YOU COOK AUTHENTIC GREEK
FOOD.
FOOD.
FOOD. I'M
FOOD. I'M DYING TO TRY YOUR FOOD.
BEE BUT I DON'T DISTRIBUTE THE
GREEK FOOD.
GREEK FOOD. IT'S A MIXTURE.
COMFORT AMERICAN, IT EUROPEAN,
WE HAVE TO HAVE THE MEAT, THE
STARCH IN THE VEGGIES.
AND THOSE HAVE MY PERSONAL
TOUCH.
TOUCH.
TOUCH. AND ATTACHED IS LOVE.
THEY HAVE BEEN TELLING ME, I.E.
THE FOOD AND I THINK OF YOU,
MARIA.
MARIA.
MARIA. I'M THINKING, OH MY GOD.
>> THAT IS SO COOL.
I LOVE THAT.
PEOPLE WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
BE THE CHANGE AND HOW THEY CAN
HELP, WHERE'S THE BEST PLACE TO
GO?
GO?
GO? 661
GO? 661 SOUTH WILSON ROAD.
I'M THERE MOST OF THE DAYS.
THEY CAN CALL ME, 502-821-0275.
THEY CAN GO TO MY FACE..
BE THE CHANGE, OR THEY CAN GO
TO MY WEBSITE, BE THE