HOUSTON — Houston’s massive Thanksgiving Day Super Feast put on by City Wide Club was a success this year, however, it wasn’t all smooth sailing in the days leading up to the event.
On Nov. 20, the Sunday before Super Feast was to take place, there was a major snafu. A truck carrying about 12,000 pounds of turkey from Nebraska to Houston broke down. Those turkeys were lost.
On Nov. 21, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee called Tanweer Ahmed, a Houston-area businessman who founded PAK Foods and is one of the biggest KFC franchisees in the country. Jackson Lee asked if he could help.
“I mean, where there’s a will there’s a way,” Ahmed said. “I wanted to make sure I at least gave my level best.”
Ahmed started scrambling. He called suppliers and friends and eventually secured 9,000 pounds of meat by the next day thanks to Performance Food Group, a food supplier that agreed to get him the turkeys at cost. Ahmed paid for the turkeys and their transport to Houston himself.
“One thing that I’ve learned is it’s all about giving out. It’s not about receiving, you know? This is how I grew up,” Ahmed said.
The turkeys made it to the George R. Brown Convention Center on time and more than 18,000 hot meals were provided on Thanksgiving Day.
“I had tears in my eyes when I saw those people,” Ahmed said. “They were just being fed. And I couldn’t be more happy than being part of that feast.”
A KFC franchisee who is known for chickens helped save the day with turkeys.