BEAUMONT, Texas – A Port Neches business owner provided hundreds of warm meals for families in shelters, evacuated from the area around the TPC chemical plant fire this Thanksgiving.
“Some beef and some rice and some veggies," said Jessi Ly.
An evacuee herself, Ly prepared meals for those seeking refuge at the Red Cross shelter at Ford Park.
She also cooked food for first responders working through the area, putting out the fires and law enforcement officials.
"It’s the least we can do. These guys are putting out fires for our home,” Ly said.
Ly lives two blocks away from the plant and like many others was also forced to leave her home the day before Thanksgiving.
She says she’s luckier than many since she’s able to stay with family.
For Ly, helping others during this emergency is the way she keeps “sane,” she said.
“Doing what I do best...is to cook,” she said.
It’s unclear how much longer the evacuation orders will be in place but Ly said she hopes to help as many folks as she can in the meantime.