BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — It was a sleepless night in Bloomington for Tynika Smith.
"I've been up all night cooking," Smith said, as she took in the setup she had in both her kitchen and her living room.
Her living room was filled with foil platters on warmers. Each platter was filled to the brim with Thanksgiving essentials like ham, turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy. Her kids helped her out by weaving in and out between the tables to put together the plates.
The aroma of her cooking wafted through her doors and into the neighborhood, reminding everyone that Thanksgiving is here.
"We have boxes of sweets we have apple crisps, pie, cake, donuts that everyone has donated to me to help out," Smith said. "My Bloomington Richfield community is awesome."
Smith has spent years helping folks who are unhoused. She's been running a solo operation of collecting donations, cooking and assembling the meals. Last year she served 80 meals. This year, she is planning for 100.
It's not just meals that she's serving either. With the help of more donations, she also assembled 100 tote bags, each filled with warm essentials like blankets, hats, and hand warmers.
"I deliver to a lot of people from older encampments that got demolished," Smith said. "[They] still reach out to me, they tell me Ms. T this is where we're at, I know you're going to cook can you stop by? Absolutely."
"I'm just able and in a position to," Smith said. "[I] try to do it without rewards, a lot of people do it for the reward, and it's not something that I look for."
She's a full-time mom, has a full-time job at a bank, and still manages to be a full-time hero to so many.
"They're like, 'Mom you're like superwoman,'" she said. "I don't know how! But, I definitely keep doing it, and I just want to set an example for them."
Small acts of kindness at Ms. T's on Thanksgiving day, came with big portions, and big hearts.
"They're excited, a lot of them are spreading the word that Ms. T is coming," Smith said with a big smile. "'Ms. T will be here! Ms. T will be here!' So it makes me smile."
Smith serves unhoused folks year-round. She said she is always accepting donations. Her next goal is to collect toys for children around Christmas. If you are interested in connecting with her to make a donation, you can reach her on her cell at 612-403-9037 or via email at tynika.s.smith@gmail.com.
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