BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The West Side of Buffalo is home to a diverse population with many resettled refugees and recent immigrants who aren’t familiar with Thanksgiving.
Elizabeth Meg Williams loves to share the traditions of the American holiday with her new American neighbors.
"It really started during COVID,” she explained.
During the pandemic lockdown, there were many turkey giveaways in her neighborhood, but the immigrant families didn’t really know how to cook a turkey. Some also didn’t have ovens in their homes.
So they brought them to Williams, who cooked the turkeys for them.
Since the pandemic, the tradition has evolved.
Now, Williams cooks up all the traditional Thanksgiving fixings and prepares meals for dozens of families – anyone interested in them.
Since the weekend, she’s enlisted the help of neighborhood kids and friends to make mounds of mashed potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, stuffing, gravy and of course turkey. She even made halal versions for her Muslim neighbors.
"It's nice to be able to share the American traditions with them. But also they introduced me to new traditions as well,” Williams said.
This Thanksgiving week, she and her friend Brad Marshall made Thanksgiving dinner to take over to a family of nine from Afghanistan. She also raised $1,000 to help the family cover their rent.
Williams said it makes her happy to be able to help people.
"It makes me just unbelievably grateful,” she said. "I think back on my life and I spent tons of money for Thanksgiving traveling places,” she said. “I can spend the same amount of money on food and feed people…. My life is infinitely better because of the neighbors I have. And so it's my way of giving back to them."
