Two Albany locals give back for Thanksgiving each year, welcome community support

ALBANY – Four years ago, Travis Goodson thought it would be his last Thanksgiving spent with his father, who was battling Stage 4 cancer.

Sad that he wouldn’t get to spend the final holiday with his father and worried he would go without a Thanksgiving meal, Goodson asked his friend Rob Michie if he could cook a turkey for his dad.

“I said, ‘I’ve got the smoker, just go get me a turkey, and we’ll make it for him,’” Michie said. “Then it turned into ‘You know what … why don’t we just go buy a few turkeys and see if we can help a few people because I’m sure there’s more people out there like your dad.’”

That year, Goodson and Michie smoked about 90 turkeys for community members in need; and thus, Operation Turkey was born.

“We were just talking about the importance of family … of community,” Goodson said. “We’re like, if we can’t have Thanksgiving with our families because of illness and cancer and COVID, we’re just going to do the best we can to give those memories to everyone else, to try to lift everyone else up that’s also suffering.”

Each year since, Goodson and Michie have smoked anywhere from 60 to 90 turkeys along with all the Thanksgiving fixings: green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls and pumpkin pie. They distribute the meals to a wide range of Albany community members in need: from those being treated for late-stage cancers to those staying at the battered women and children’s center at Liberty House to local orphanages and children being helped by the Lily Pad Sane Center.

Michie said people also will reach out about families in need. One year they helped a family who had just lost all of their belongings in a house fire. He said he feels blessed to be able to provide this service, especially when he delivers the meals.

“These people are literally in tears and emotional over a meal, something we’re supposed to have every day,” Michie said. “It’s something that so many take for granted … but it’s not available to some of these people. So for them to have that gratitude, it’s such a humbling experience.”

For Goodson, it’s about focusing on good holiday memories and giving struggling families an opportunity to just focus on their family. He said Operation Turkey’s first year turned what could have been a tragic stain on the holiday season into a blessing and a tradition he looks forward to each year.

Goodson’s father ended up beating cancer – a miracle moment he thanked doctors at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital for.

“Even so, if I had lost my father that year, he knew what I was doing, and he knew it was in his memory,” Goodson said. “Now, every holiday season, he gets stronger and healthier, and now he’s able to be a part of it.”

Operation Turkey turned into Goodson’s and Michie’s favorite part of the holiday season. Each year, they purchase dozens of turkeys. They begin smoking them on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving at Michie’s Albany restaurant, Cork’s Wine and Charcuterie.

Michie said they work for the entire day and through the night, enjoying the fellowship between their two families. They give away the meals late Wednesday before Thanksgiving with the help of volunteers who deliver the food to doorsteps.

“I get to involve my children, which is great,” Goodson said. “I get to tell them how awesome it is to help other people.”

Michie said it’s ultimately his way of giving back to his community that supports the local businesses he owns.

“Albany has been very good to us – they’ve supported us,” he said. “We just want to pay it forward … to move our blessings forward.”

Cooking 60 full-course Thanksgiving meals can get expensive. Michie said it usually costs the two families $4,000 each year. Most of the money comes out of Michie’s and Goodson’s pockets, but they’ve also been fortunate to have community donations cover a good portion of it.

However, this year Michie said they’ve only had a few community donors. He said his family and Goodson’s will front the costs to meet the same level of need.

Goodson and Michie said they’re thankful for the people who have been able to give each year.

“We understand that, you know, life is rough right now, and if people have the ability, we’re just asking them to give back, because we have so much to be thankful for – whether they can donate, whether they give time, they want to bring supplies,” Goodson said. “It goes right back to the people that need it the most right now.”

Anyone who would like to donate can drop cash or a check off at Corks at 2700 Dawson Road, Suite 5. Or they can scan the QR code for mobile payment apps or send a Venmo payment to Michie directly @rob-michie. This effort extends into the entire holiday season for Operation Christmas, which supports the same groups, as well.

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