Community of Angels
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(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Volunteers with Charlie’s Angels in Graford pose outside the facility which provides free meals each Tuesday and Thursday. Shown, left to right, are Magyn Whitaker, Katy Wallner, Angelia Hardin, George Rodriquez (back), Charles Self (front), Sandy Dutton and Tommy Nicklas. -
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO | GRAFORD ISD) Graford ISD Student Council members deliver over 2,500 cans of food Tuesday, Nov. 15 to Charlie’s Angels from the Graford FCCLA Food Drive. -
(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Charlie’s Angels Assistant Director Magyn Whitaker looks inside one of the freezers at the facility located at 329 FM 2353 in Graford.
Over 20 years ago, Charles Self had a dream to help the elderly which blossomed into the facility called Charlie’s Angels in Graford. The facility offers free meals to all each Tuesday and Thursday, with a delivery option available.
The facility started around 1996, after Self wanted a way to give back to the elderly after being raised by his grandparents. His idea started with visiting them at a nursing home and did not move to providing meals until someone visited his store with a request.
“A guy came in and he wanted to know how he could get some meals for four people down the road that didn’t have none. That seemed to be the start right there,” he said. “So I started getting five meals, once a week from restaurants, and delivering to five different people.”
Self visited a local chicken restaurant on Possum Kingdom Lake and asked the owners how much they would charge him for five meals. After the owners heard why he needed the meals, they offered to donate the meals and he used his money and the donated meals to provide meals twice a week. After some time, more restaurants joined his list to donate meals for those in need.
“Long story short, it ended up (where) every cafe on the lake and in Graford were donating meals,” he said. “I had schedules for them and I would have to call them on these two days, Tuesday and Thursday. (...) It just kept rolling and we got up to about, I believe, it was 37 (cafes) and I thought, ‘Man, that’s a load on cafes.’ It’s tough trying to go pick up five meals here, six meals here, seven there. I said, ‘I need to do something.’ So I went hunting for a place to maybe cook our own meals and I looked all around and there just was nothing available.”
For the full story, see the Saturday, Dec. 24 edition of The Graham Leader.
