PRYOR, Okla. — One local man in Pryor is serving his community this Thanksgiving after he says they were there for him during a devastating loss.
"Pryor is just such a wonderful community to be in, and I couldn’t think of me being anywhere else," Robert Brown said.
Brown is from Tulsa and moved to Pryor in 1996. This Thanksgiving, Brown is showing his appreciation to the Pryor community.
"364 days a year, you know, people are coming in and eating with us," says Brown. "It’s the least we can do to show our appreciation to them once a year."
For the past two years, Brown has provided hundreds of free Thanksgiving meals to Pryor residents. He says he does this, in memory of his son, and to give back to the community, that helped him during that difficult time.
His son Dex died in a car crash at the age of 24 about a decade ago.
“When we lost him, the community was good to us," Brown said.
Brown said Dex had a servant’s heart. And when Dex was just 14 years old, he introduced Brown to church. After one service, Brown and his wife came up with the Thanksgiving meal idea as a way to honor Dex’s memory and say "thank you" to their community.
Brown says all of the cooks and servers on Thanksgiving Day are volunteers. He said Dex would have volunteered too.
"He would be out in the middle of this. Right in the middle."
Brown says although his son isn’t here physically, he’s here in spirit, and in memory. And through this he’s learned it’s always a good time to say, “I love you”, and “thank you”.
"I have a habit, you might say, of telling my buddies I love them, and we care a great deal about this community."
Charlie's Chicken will be open Thanksgiving Day between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for free Thanksgiving meals.
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