Thanksgiving for Terrell Boothe is not only a way to spread his restaurant’s take on Southern cuisine but to share some Southern hospitality by offering free meals to anyone in need.

“I choose the term ‘in need’ over ‘poor’ because you never know who is in need or what they are in need of,” Boothe said. “Sometimes it’s food, sometimes it’s a ‘hello,’ sometimes it’s a prayer, so we try to cover all of those things on Thanksgiving.”

Boothe is the owner of TB3 Bar and Grill in Aberdeen.

Growing up, Boothe and his two brothers grew their own vegetables and processed meat for their family dinners. He said his family was humble and lived according to the philosophies of his mother, who taught them to help those in need, pay things forward and always give back to their community.

“We didn’t have a lot of money, but we had love,” Boothe said.

At the age of 21, Boothe and one of his brothers moved from Mississippi to Maryland after his brother was injured in the military.

Boothe worked at places like Sewell Plastic in Havre de Grace and Clorox. When he was not at his day job, he worked on building his property management business, Boothe Brothers and Associates.

However, Maryland and the surrounding areas were a shock to Boothe. He said it was an “awakening” to see the number of homeless people when he visited Washington, D.C.

“All the homeless people on the sidewalks, that really messed my mind up a little bit because I am thinking, ‘This is the nation’s capital,’” he said. “We had homeless people in Mississippi, but the church took care of those people. It’s not like that here.”

To help those in need, Boothe began serving free Thanksgiving meals at his property management office in downtown Aberdeen in 2017.

Since opening TB3 in 2019 at 705 S. Philadelphia Blvd., Boothe said he has more space to serve more people and is able to let visitors sit in the restaurant to eat.

“My goal right now is just to give people a place to come and feel like someone cares for them on Thanksgiving,” Boothe said. “I believe in giving back and paying it forward.”

Boothe’s brothers and sons volunteer to help him on Thanksgiving Day. Many of them travel from out of state to lend a hand.

“We are a tight family, which is why the name is TB3 — there are three of us and we are a tenacious bond that cannot be broken,” Boothe said. “They call me for help, I am there. I call them, same thing.”

This year’s meal will include turkey, ham, collard greens, corn, green beans, dressing, rolls and sweet potatoes.

Along with the free meal, TB3 will have free canned food and clothes available.

TB3 also plans to deliver more than 200 meals to local hotels, churches, boys and girls clubs, senior living centers and anyone on the street in the immediate Route 40 area of Aberdeen as part of Boothe’s goal of serving 500 meals.

Outside of Boothe’s Thanksgiving Day operation, he continues to help his community year-round by hosting a food giveaway in partnership with the Maryland Food Bank on the last Tuesday of every month at his property management office at 214 W. Bel Air Ave. in Aberdeen.

“Someone can be rich today and poor tomorrow or poor today and rich tomorrow, but sometimes, someone might just need an encouraging word, a hot meal and a smile and what does it cost me? A little money? I can’t take none of it with me, so I am happy to do this,” Boothe said.

TB3 will begin serving meals at 11 a.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Hubbard at mhubbard@baltsun.com, 443-651-0101 or @mthubb on X.