They lift spirits with food & hope

After a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, in 2011, barbecue hobbyist Stan Hays got fellow cooks together to serve meals to victims and first responders. That act of love grew into Operation BBQ Relief, which has served millions of meals

- Kellie B. Gormly

Stan Hays' heart filled with sadness as, in May 2011, he watched the news footage of the devastation left behind after a tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri just 2 hours away from his home in the Kansas City area.

Thinking about all those people who had lost everything, Stan's heart ached. He went to bed feeling hopeless and helpless. Then his wife, Amy, looked at him and said: "You should go down there."

Stan was a barbecue hobbyist who, in his downtime from working in the insurance industry, competed in regional cooking contests. Amy urged him to round up several of his barbecue friends and fellow contestants, go to Joplin and grill hot meals for people hit by the tornado.

She's right, Stan thought and the next morning, he phoned his friend and fellow BBQ enthusiast Jeff Stith, who said: "I've been thinking the same thing."

Grilling up love

As the two friends shared their idea, several other barbecue aficionados quickly came together and, after gathering supplies-Sam's Club, which hosts a national BBQ competition, donated 1,000 pounds of pork they headed to Joplin.

Stan's heart broke when he saw some people staying in the shells of their destroyed homes. They didn't want to leave because it was all they had left, and they feared losing their last possessions to looters.