More than 300 meals delivered by Asian Gourmet, volunteers on Saturday

By Joey McWilliams

DURANT – Wu Ye said he wanted to do what he could to help those who really need that help.

Ye and Gui Gao, owners of Asian Gourmet Chinese Restaurant in Durant, worked with Greg Phillips, Emalea Hudgens, Don Krumme and more to put together a meal distribution for seniors on Saturday. The group handed out and delivered more than 300 meals of chicken fried rice and soup before the day was done.

Not only that, but Ye had a surplus of commercial toilet paper and sent rolls of it to be delivered with the food, in case there were those who needed.

Ye got emotional speaking about wanting to do what he could, following a trip to a store. He had seen older people with empty baskets after the shelves had been cleaned out.

Volunteers helping feed seniors with meals donated by Asian Gourmet.
Photo provided.

“I cried,” Ye said. “I want to help. I ordered 13,000 pounds of rice and it there if is someone without food, I can help.

“I am Chinese-American and my wife and children are all American. This is my country and have a good life here and I want to help.”

On Friday, Ye took a gallon of hand sanitizer to the Durant Post Office, Library and local law enforcement offices, such as the police department, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and more.

Greg Phillips said the group took deliveries to The Village at Four Seasons, Larkspur Village and the Choctaw Village in Calera.

“People wore gloves and masks and made deliveries to just outside the doors of homes,” Phillips said. “We were safe. And in getting everything together, people were working in an assembly line system.

“And the people who received the meals were very appreciative. There were calls that came in from those to say how thankful they were.”

The group plans to do this again next week and subsequent Saturdays, as long as they can if there are no directives from local government that say there is a lock-down or something like that.

Those who need a meal should contact this group via email at feeddurant@gmail.com or call the Asian Gourmet phone number (580) 924-6688.