Teens help homeless celebrate Thanksgiving

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Many of the homeless are stocked with new clothing, toiletries and a Thanksgiving meal in their bellies, thanks to the young people who volunteered at Loaves & Fishes on Congress Avenue.

"I'm very grateful, because if they wasn't here, then I wouldn't know really what to do, really," said Teresa Taylor, who is homeless.

About 50 kids ages 10-17 accompanied the usual volunteers at the soup kitchen. The young people are a part of the nonprofit TheraGood Deeds. They assembled the toiletry bags and helped hand out meals, clothing and shoes.

"I just like the feeling of giving back, and seeing them in this position reminds me of where I could be, and I don't want that," said 15-year-old volunteer Chiquita Thompson. "So I just want to help them get back on their feet."

The founder of TheraGood Deeds, Sheldon Theragood, says he wants to teach kids not to take what they have for granted.

"I had a kid one day that was always wanting something," said Theragood, who is a Houston police officer. "He was like, 'Man I want some shoes. I want some clothes.' And he'd get mad. He was always upset. And then when we started coming out here, and I started taking them out to learn about the homeless community- these guys (homeless) don't have anything. They used to have stuff, but things in their life just changed. And then he start learning that. Man, I see a person with no shoes on, no socks. Some of these people don't have it at all.... So now they're learning how not to take life for granted."

TheraGood Deeds is in its fourth year of volunteering with the homeless for Thanksgiving.

"I think that it may make them happy to enjoy and have a nice Thanksgiving, and they may feel joy inside, because some people, they hold anger inside of them," said 13-year-old volunteer T'ausha Smith.