Tulsa family balancing generosity with hardship
Dec 23, 2024
The Smith family lives life their own way, evidenced by the goats in their front yard and their house painted black.Free meal, free meal, these are people that want free meals, Lisa Smith said as she scrolled through endless Facebook messages.Smith sets her hardships aside, to help others. She posts ads on facebook, for free meals, that shell cook and hand out to anyone who needs them. In the midst of her generosity, someone else took advantage.Someone with a mysterious account contacted her for a free meal, which Smith left on her porch.A little later on, Amazon delivered some packages; Christmas presents for her daughter, Emmy.When Smith went to get the packages, both the gifts and the meal were gone.The way I look at it is they probably needed it more than she did, Smith said through tears.She called Amazon customer service, who pointed her to the police. Theres not much they can do, with little evidence of what happened.I asked my neighbors if theyve seen anybody, but it was later at night, Smith said.Security cameras on the porch, like video doorbells, come highly reccommended by law enforcement.Moneys already tight in the Smith house, and despite all these setbacks, Lisa says shes trying to keep Christmas as magical as can be.We got a couple of people that donated some used clothing and used toys, which shes so excited, Smith said, Shes not very picky, but yeah its not gonna be a good Christmas this year.Smith says shell keep offering free meals. Shortly after her interview with 2 News, some family friends stopped by with some gifts for Emmy.Still, Lisa feels her daughter will miss some of the magic meant for Christmas morning.Shes always such a loving girl, that she doesnt deserve this, Smith said.Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere -- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices. Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram SUBSCRIBE on YouTube