In a small town, it’s often the little acts of kindness that leave the biggest impression. For Handlebars Mobile Kitchen owner Alex Thomison, giving back to the Cordell Fire Department and local EMS crews was simply his way of saying “thank you.”
The Cordell Fire Department recently recognized Thomison on social media for his generosity after he treated firefighters and EMS personnel to a free meal during the Fourth of July Hometown Celebration and later provided the department with a trunk load full of donated water and Gatorade.
“Small towns are built on kindness, generosity, and people who choose to show up for each other,” the department shared. “We want to give a huge thank you to Handlebars Mobile Kitchen for the support he has shown our fire department. Thank you for feeding our firefighters and EMS at the Fourth of July celebration, donating your hard work back into your community, and supporting our department with your appreciated donation.”
Thomison said the thought of doing something to help support the community had been on his mind.
“It wasn’t any specific event that made me want to do it,” Thomison said. “The fire department has always supported me. Whenever they’ve gotten new hires or hosted training seminars, especially out at the tech center, Seth would always have me cater the food for the new people and trainees. They’ve always been such a big supporter of me. That was one of the main reasons, when I was thinking that I haven’t done much to support our community, and that’s when I messaged them and said I’ll feed all of ya’ll at the 4th of July celebration event,” he said. “Everything that I brought in at the Fourth of July event went straight back into the fund for me to go buy all the water and Gatorade that I donated to the department.”
Rather than setting aside only his profits, Thomison donated all of the proceeds from food sales during the celebration. Community members who purchased meals from Handlebars Mobile Kitchen helped stock local first responders with much-needed drinks for the hot Oklahoma summer. Firefighters and EMS personnel on duty received free meals anddrinks.
“I don’t know if they thought I was going to donate quite that much,” Thomison laughed. “I had kind of dropped a little hint. I messaged the chief, but they were out on a call. I just kind of showed up and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got some water.’ When I opened it up, they were like, ‘Oh!’ because my entire Jeep was packed full. I’m happy to do it. I love getting to do stuff like that.”
For Thomison, supporting first responders is about investing in the people who are always ready to answer the call.
“We’re a small community, and I think we really have to rely on each other to make sure we have what we need to survive,” he said. “As a small business, I feel like I have more or less a duty to help out and step up.”
He also hopes people take a moment to appreciate the vital role first responders play every day.
“I’ve never had to call them for myself, but I’ve had to call them for other people,” Thomison said. “Working around town, I’ve seen them respond to customers having emergencies, friends’ houses that have caught on fire, and just about every emergency you can think of. It’s important to think about what our town would look like if we didn’t have that amazing service. That’s a very real risk in rural Oklahoma.”
His appreciation for our local department isn’t stopping with one donation, either. Thomison said he plans to restock the department’s water and Gatorade supplies again when they begin running low as another way of thanking them for everything they do for the community.
Those wanting to catch Thomison and Handlebars Mobile Kitchen can attend the Clinton Public Farmers Market on Thursday, July 23, and The Social in Clinton on Thursday and Friday, July 23-24. Local residents can stop and see him outside Cordell United on Tuesday, July 28.