Texas County resident David Smith was 75-percent Caddo Indian (a nation that primarily occupied east Texas and northern Louisiana) and once made a promise to tribal officials that he would build a kitchen where young people could be taught how to cook and can food.
Before he died in February 2014, he shared a vision with his wife, Marcy. After he passed away, Marcy decided to manifest that vision, and today, the “survival kitchen” is up and running on the Smiths’ 80-acre property in the southeast corner of the county.
“My husband’s dream was to create a place that would give young people a purpose in life,” Marcy Smith said, “and a way to hopefully survive all the pitfalls of life.”
David Smith kneels next to a 16-point buck he killed on his property shortly before his death in early 2014.
The “kitchen” is actually a 1,200 square-foot, two-bedroom house that has been entirely converted into a place for cooking, canning and storage. It’s equipped with both a vintage wood stove and a newer electric unit, five commercial-size freezers, lots of shelf space and loads of useful gear (including numerous crockpots, pressure cookers and all kinds of utensils).
“We have a small beef herd, hogs, chickens and ducks,” Smith said, “and we share some of whatever we butcher.”
Smith (who is about 50-percent Cherokee) said anyone is welcome to take advantage of assistance she and the kitchen have to offer, especially military veterans (both disabled and otherwise), disabled seniors, special needs children and their families. Church and school groups and other community-oriented groups are encouraged to come, as well as families who have experienced loss from fire or unemployment, and pretty much anyone else in a position of need.
Nobody has to pay to use the facility (which is handicapped-friendly) or receive food from it. So far, 25 families have in some way benefited from it.
Smith said the idea isn’t simply to give stuff away, but for everyone who visits to get involved to whatever extent they can.
“There is no hand out,” she said, “but there is definitely a hand up. Everybody will have a job and nobody is going to made to feel like they’re a charity case.”
Smith (who has a daughter living in Illinois and a son in northern Missouri) is a big coupon enthusiast, and even teaches “couponing.” Most of the canned food and numerous other household items stored in the survival kitchen were purchased using coupons.
The kitchen is designed around the concept of the old adage that if you give a man a fish, he can feed his family for a night, but it you teach him how to fish, he can feed them for a lifetime.
“That’s what we’re after,” Smith said. “We definitely want to teach as many people as we can. Age and ability doesn’t matter – I just don’t want to see families going without.”
Out of passion for living her husband’s dream, Smith footed the bill for much of the material that went into refurbishing the old home and the food that’s now ready for distribution, but several individuals and businesses have contributed, too (including Zimmerman Meat Processing of Summersville, Gentleman Jim’s Wrecker Service of Mountain View, and Orscheln Farm and Home, Town and Country Supermarket and Burch Insurance, all of Houston). Much of the work to transform the building has been done by a family member, Tom Stockton, who lives with his wife in a home on the property.
“Marcy does an awful lot here,” Stockton said. “I don’t know how she does it; she can run with the beat and leave them in the dust.”
Smith thinks the operation might be unique.
“I’ve done some research, and I don’t know of any teaching kitchen that is going now anywhere in the country,” she said. “But my mom and dad raised me to help people less fortunate than myself. I was fortunate enough to be around folks who taught me and gave me lots of information and it’s stayed with me through the years.”
When she was young, Smith gained lots of knowledge from a woman who also showed her the meaning of true charity.
“I went to thank her and told her, ‘granny, I can’t pay for anything you’ve given me, and saying thank you doesn’t seem like enough,’” Smith said. “She said, ‘I get the biggest thrill out of being able to help someone else instead of having to be helped. Please don’t take that joy away from me.’
“I’ve remembered what she said ever since, and when someone tells me what I told her, I say the same thing she said.”
Smith said her property features handicapped-accessible deer blinds, and she’ll even help qualified people hunt. Donations to the operation of all sorts are welcome, including food, clothing, vehicles, farm equipment, butchering gear, money and virtually anything else of use.
“I told David I would make this kitchen come true,” she said. “Helping people is one of the main things that keeps me going, and we have pushed to get this done now because there are so many people in need. When we’re gone, hopefully we’ll have been able to teach some of the younger generation to take care of their own and not have to ask for a lot of help.”
For more information about use of the “survival kitchen,” or to arrange to help or donate food or equipment, call Marcy Smith during the evening at 417-230-1371 or email smithmarcy57j@gmail.com. Financial donations can be made to an account at Landmark Bank under the name of Smith and the survival kitchen.
“There is no hand out, but there is definitely a hand up. Everybody will have a job and nobody is going to made to feel like they’re a charity case.”
– MARCY SMITH