WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Turkish woman is continuing her tradition of serving hope to the community ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
For more than a decade, Zuhre Beytas has spent her time in the United States helping others, by distributing holiday meals and giving out toys for kids. She said it’s something that started when she was living in Turkey.
“Even in Turkey when I wasn’t working, I would share and buy things for others and this would always feed my soul,” Beytas said.
On Tuesday, Beytas distributed 60 turkeys to low-income families.
And last Thanksgiving, she helped feed more than 100 people in West Palm Beach, gathering members of the homeless community together for dinner. She said she’s driven by the love of serving others.
“They say, are you going to get turkey for us this year?” Beytas said. “And I just smile, yes I will. Yes of course. So that makes me happy. Doesn’t matter how old are they. Their smiles make me happy.”
Beytas has planned another Thanksgiving dinner Thursday at the South Florida Fairgrounds, where she plans to feed around 120 people.
"We’re going to sit down and eat together," Beytas said. "We’re going to serve them and then eat together."
A number of sponsoring businesses and individuals helped Beytas plan the Thanksgiving meal, including Bedirye Gunduz, J’da Palm Beach, Action Art, Brenda Schwering, Tanya Pergament, Joseph Corcoran, Misty Florist, Isidora Mihajlovic,K aren Gugino, Berta Bree, Teresa Valinotti and Randy Gray.
