Pictures of Keona Crawford and other keepsakes are displayed at Wise Choice Custom Meats, which is now preparing to hold its 6th Keona’s Thanks-Giving Day, which provides free Thanksgiving meals to the community in honor of Keona after she passed away in 2019. FILE | WCMESSENGER
Most meat markets will be closed Thursday. For Wise Choice Custom Meats in Decatur, it’s the busiest day of the year.
It’s not about business for the market owned by the Crawford family, at least not during Thanksgiving.
Their doors will open, once again, to give back — making Thanksgiving possible for those in need. The idea started with Keona Crawford, who wanted to volunteer during the holidays instead of their normal gathering. In 2019, she died in a car wreck. Ever since, the Crawford family has honored her wish.
During the 6th annual Keona’s Thanks-Giving Day, the family and volunteers will serve free hot meals from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Center for Emotional Wellness, 1602 W. Business 380 in Decatur, while also delivering free Thanksgiving meals.
They’ve benefitted hundreds of families over the years in Wise County.
Beyond the people they serve, it’s also become a meaningful tradition for many other Wise County families who want to spend their holiday helping out in their community.
The Crawford family is preparing for the 6th Keona’s Thanks-Giving Day, in honor of Keona Crawford. Pictured in 2023 are Lynn Crawford, Shaylee Crawford, Patricia Crawford and Caleb Crawford. The family, who owns Wise Choice Custom Meats, will provide free meals for those in need Thanksgiving Day from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. FILE | WCMESSENGER
How it all began
In the summer of 2019, Keona Crawford asked her mom if they could do something different for Thanksgiving that year.
Instead of the typical family gathering, Crawford wanted to serve meals at a soup kitchen or church in Fort Worth.
“We made that promise to her,” said Keona’s mom, Patricia Crawford, in a 2022 interview with the Wise County Messenger. “She said, ‘How can we sit at home and eat when there are so many people hurting?’”
Keona never had the chance to serve those meals on Thanksgiving. In October 2019, Keona was taking Patricia to church near Granbury when tragedy struck.
“We hit a truck and trailer head-on,” Patricia said.
Keona, who was driving that day, passed away instantly. Patricia was flown to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth with severe injuries.
Patricia ultimately survived, but underwent a grueling rehab process in the following months. It couldn’t compare to the pain of gathering around the dinner table for Christmas and seeing that empty chair — the void of the young woman who seemed to always end up including friends who didn’t have a place to celebrate the holidays at their home.
The first year was especially difficult for the Crawford family, and the thought of trying to do a normal holiday meal seemed untenable. As the holidays neared, the family got together and came up with an idea that would carry on Keona’s wishes for Thanksgiving.
The Crawfords own Wise Choice Meat Custom Meats, a meat market on U.S. 81/287 in Decatur. For the past six years, they have prepared Thanksgiving meals for the community, carrying out Keona’s wishes.
“Going through this whole grief process, I just said, ‘Well, she wanted to feed people on Thanksgiving, let’s do that,’” Patricia said. “We decided we’ll feed people here… I think it’s how God works. He put that on her heart months before Thanksgiving to feed people. I believe this was the purpose.”
The market bustled with activity as the family worked to complete orders. Behind the meat counter is a picture of Keona, a constant reminder of why they’re doing this.
“[Keona’s] thing with Josh was she would always look at him and say, ‘Brother, we’re just going to do it,’” said Patricia when asked what Keona would think about what the family is doing now. “I think she would say what we’re doing is awesome. We feel very blessed to be able to serve. With the loss, we had to try to figure out a way. I just wish that she was here.”
There was a mix of regular customers as well as new faces at the meat market this week who were there to pick-up turkey dinners — people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to have a turkey on the dinner table for Thanksgiving.
“People think that we are blessing them, but they are blessing us,” Josh Crawford said.
Over the years, Patricia has seen the value in providing something as simple as a turkey dinner for someone who needs it. The need isn’t always financial.
“There was a couple that both had cancer.” Patricia said. “They couldn’t physically make Thanksgiving dinner by themselves. They came up to us and told us what it meant to them. We were tired after smoking all those turkeys, but just seeing that and meeting the people, made us realize that this is what we are supposed to do.”
In 2022, the Crawfords were planning on providing more than 100 meals for Thanksgiving. The numbers have grown each year. But to Patricia, the numbers aren’t what matters.
“I don’t care if we do one meal, we’ll do whatever God brings,” she said. “Everybody should have a warm meal on Thanksgiving.”
The Crawfords’ mission — a goal that started as a conversation between a mother and daughter in the summer of 2019 — is to serve free hot meals to all who need one on Thanksgiving day.
Wise Choice Custom Meats is located at 203 U.S. 287 in Decatur.
This year, the family and volunteers will serve hot meals 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Center for Emotional Wellness, 1602 W. Business 380 in Decatur. They also plan to deliver meals 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
“We’re just thankful people want to spend their thanksgiving with our family,” Patricia said.
Editor’s note: This story was sourced and updated from archive material originally published by the Wise County Messenger in 2022.
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