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“God gave me the chance to come to the greatest country,” he said. “I won't turn the needy away. Instead, I offer them food and respect.”

Little is known about Anna, including her last name. She won’t accept city or state help. Pira feeds her, even packing food for her on Saturday evenings so she can eat on Sundays when the restaurant is closed.

“Anna must be homeless due to mental problems,” Pira said. “But she is peaceful and not mean.”

Pira has even bought her clothes during the year and gives her money or other necessities for Christmas or her birthday.

Pira is known around Richardson and the community for his generosity working with everyone from the city's fire department to schools to even hosting a lavish luncheon each year honoring close to 200 Network of Community Ministries volunteers for free.

Anna told me that she “loves the atmosphere” at Aboca’s. “Everyone treats you like family,” she said.

I have read several posts on FR about the battering that this shutdown has caused for small businesses, especially restaurants. Here is a link to a story about NYC restaurants, but this same situation is happening all over the country.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3918082/posts

Here is a story from 2013, from a suburb of Dallas, about an anecdote that the author witnessed at a local Italian eatery.

Think about the thousands of businesses that take it upon themselves to reach out to the needy, such as Mr. Pira.

Most of us at Free Republic are able to help others, due to our own hard work year after year. Here is a gentleman from Albania who reaches out (and has for nine years) to help a homeless person, for nothing in return.

And the criminal politicians simply do not care about the pain they cause, since it helps them maintain or gain power over citizens.

They claim to be helping others but all that they do is to prop up themselves as feudal kings over a dying province.

May G_d judge these politicians properly.

‘It’s heartbreaking’: Richardson restaurant on the cusp of closure as Christmas approaches
Aboca’s Italian Grill is one of thousands of Texas restaurants behind on bills and low on customers.
https://www.dallasnews.com/food/restaurant-news/2020/12/22/its-heartbreaking-richardson-restaurant-on-the-cusp-of-closure-as-christmas-approaches/
12/22/2020

Huh. We’re actually looking at hitting an Italian place tomorrow night before going by the big Plano neighborhood with the fancy lights. Definitely thinking this place just beat out Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill by a wide margin!