BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – Kellie Keller and her son, Michael, packed their last boxes of Thanksgiving meals on Monday, from turkeys to apple pies, to deliver to families in need.
It all started with Keller posting a flyer and then a Nov. 8 message on Facebook, asking if anyone knew a family who could use some help:
“I’d like to bring a family a full Thanksgiving meal to cook for their family….anyone know of a family who could use some help? I’m willing to deliver….Pls. PM their info so I may contact them personally tysm, I’m willing to deliver up to 40 miles.”
“It’s nice to just put a smile on someone’s face, and that’s all I wanted to do, so I did, a lot of them,” said Keller.
Just two days later, one family became 37 families. Keller said she was amazed by the amount of people who adopted families and stepped up to help.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better turnout,” said Keller. “I have a lot of respect for the people who helped me, and I love them. Even strangers helped me.”
Keller has an unrelenting determination. At five-years-old she was severely injured in a car accident. From that moment on, she said she lives by her mother’s words, “if you want it, get it.”
“(Doctors) told me that I wasn’t going to walk, and (my mom) said, ‘if you want it, get it,’ and I did,” said Keller. “Even after 24 brain surgeries, I made sure I went to school from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. so I could graduate.”
From Union City to Hastings, four tanks of gas and hundreds of dollars of donations later, Keller accomplished what she set out to do.
“I didn’t ask (the families) to send me a thank you card, I didn’t give them my number, I didn’t give them my address, I just want them to enjoy the day with their families,” said Keller.
Still a few days ahead of this holiday, Keller said she is already planning ahead for next year, hoping to help families with their Thanksgiving meals.
And while she did not ask for help, Keller told FOX 17 that she is in need of a wheelchair-accessible van to transport her and her wheelchair, especially to-and-from her college classes.
If you would like more information, or to help, you can contact Kellie Keller via Facebook.
