Ema Haq is a man who loves his community and country. He says it's in his DNA to give back and to bring a smile to those facing a difficult time.
Haq is no stranger to giving back and doing is so in a big way.
He made his second trip to cook for those dealing with Hurricane Laura and now Hurricane Delta's aftermath.
" If I don't do it, I don't think I can sleep better. It gives me a lot of joy, but at the same time, it brings so much tears to see the devastation our community has been going through," Haq said.
Ema served more than 600 meals, the food donated from his restaurants Ema's Café and Bailey's in Lafayette. On Wednesday, he was helping out the community of Sulphur.
While he was plating food, Haq briefly heard stories about people who have lost everything. Those that stopped by thanked him for his service.
"I'm so grateful to God, grateful to the community I live in that's been so kind and generous to me over the years. It's going to take a lot time and effort of the community, but I think we will get through it stronger than ever," Haq said.
Samantha Broussard is from Sulphur and is amazed at the support the region is receiving. She says getting a hot meal makes a bigger difference than people could imagine.
"When you have small children, it makes a big difference. It wants to bring tears to my eyes," Broussard said.
As Ema bags meals he feels the emotions of this community.
"When you look and they say how many meals they need and they say 9 so we can eat at night, oh God, it melts your heart. I say oh God, take more. It's tough and we've all been through hardships so you know when people are in need and they need a helping hand," Haq said.
He hopes those who can, continue to help the communities impacted by the storms because the recovery process will be a long one. "America is great, we always reach out all over the world when people need help. Now, we need to reach out to our community the best we can."
"I've been through many, many storms and I've never seen people come together as a community like this. It's so amazing," Broussard added.
Ema says he plans to make other trips to areas hit hard by both hurricanes. He's already planning his big Thanksgiving meal giveaway at his restaurant in Lafayette with COVID-19 guidelines in place.
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