Sometimes people can use their passion to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Mary Chatten and Cecio Withrow, originally from California and one-year residents of Vicksburg, find immense joy from cooking, and they chose to use their talents on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day to feed those who were hungry on the corner of Washington and Speed streets.

Original plans to eat at the casino were scrapped when they thought about the homeless population in Vicksburg the day before Thanksgiving and decided they would rather cook for them.

“We went ahead and went shopping that night and the next day started cooking at 4 in the morning,” Chatten said.

On Thanksgiving Day they handed out about 40 meals to people who were walking down the street. As people crossed by their door, they would call out and ask if they had eaten that day.

“If they’re hungry, we’re not going to turn them away,” Chatten said.

It turns out cooking a traditional meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans, pumpkin pie and cake for 40 people isn’t all that expensive.

“It doesn’t cost that much,” Withrow said. “For us to cook Thanksgiving dinner cost about $150.”

The duo decided to offer the same meal on Christmas Day, but they didn’t want a lot of publicity around their donation to keep the meal authentic for people who happened to be there on Christmas. Plus, they didn’t want to be praised for their decision to give.

“If it gets advertised people we think, ‘they’re just doing it to get a pat on the back,’” Withrow said. ‘That’s not what we’re doing it for.”

Chatten said all the hard work is rewarding when the people they feed show appreciation.

“There was one last guy…He was so thankful, that made it all worth it,” she said.

Chatten said homeless people often wander to their door asking for food, and periodically they will supply the person with a meal but no money.

“If you truly are hungry, yes, we want to feed you,” Chatten said.

Withrow has been working for the past seven months to establish a food truck, The Rocking Jalapeño, for business.

“Everything is cooked right here in the truck,” Chatten said.

Withrow’s mother owned a restaurant, and he grew up around food his whole life. Chatten has been cooking for her daughter and her daughter’s friends who essentially lived with them for years.

“We’ve always been feeding people,” Chatten said.

They described the food they want to serve from the truck as home-style food cooked entirely from scratch.

“We want to have the food that you would get at home but better,” Chatten said.

The duo are still working to get all the permits they need to open their food truck for business and do not have a projected opening date.