A day after a fire devastated Horn Barbeque in Oakland, the restaurant's employees and owner are focused on trying to help others.
The restaurant is red-tagged and boarded up, but its mission to give back to the community is still intact.
“I’ve been moved to tears, I’ve been very emotional these past 24 hours,” said owner Matt Horn. “It’s tough coming back here ... We wanted to show our community that we are committed to keeping our word of serving.”
Volunteers helped distribute 150 turkeys to those in need during the restaurant's third annual turkey giveaway. Unlike previous years, hot meals are off the menu.
That's because a fire destroyed most of their building Tuesday.
That fire came the same week vandals tagged their building and tried to break into their trailer.
“Even with their loss we are still going to be able to celebrate and that means a lot,” said Clutch of Oakland. “Being homeless we don’t have the ability to cook for ourselves like that and having someone who can give us a turkey that we can make something happen is really awesome.”
The popular BBQ spot is getting support from the community, other chefs and Oakland firefighters.
A GoFundMe has already raised more than $37,000. In fact, even some people picking up turkeys Wednesday decided to stay and help with the giveaway.
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“We just want to help them out as much as they are helping the community,” said Thomas of Oakland.
“I think it's more significant this year, Thanksgiving, because you know we always give and we always serve as a form of stewardship but now I'm in a position where I'm extremely grateful for the love and support that I have received,” said Horn.
The restaurant will likely need to be rebuilt from ground up and despite the challenge, Horn says his commitment to Oakland can't be broken.
“For small business owners, residents of Oakland, we need to maintain our resilience and have faith,” said Horn. “I think the more we come together we create this ethos of perseverance and we can continue to move forward.”
The fire remains under investigation. Horn said he is hoping to rebuild as soon as possible.
