Merritt seniors thank Pig Pen BBQ

Hill Country citizens remember the late January- early February ice storm earlier this year that coated trees with up to three-quarters of an inch of ice, paralyzed roads, pulled down power lines and left many people in the cold and dark for three days. The number of power outages in the Hill Country alone surpassed 200,000 households, and, in Texas, almost half a million people lost power. It was the worst ice storm in nearly a decade.

The residents at Merritt Hill Country Senior Village on RR 12 remember it well. The power went out and was briefly restored several times in the housing community before going out altogether. Occupants said they were without power for much of the three-day event.

“Power went out as the storm brought down trees onto the power lines. The electricity flickered on and off and then stayed off for about two and half days,” Merritt resident Henry Wallack said. “We heard that the power surges damaged the equipment and created the long blackout.”

“I was cold, and my apartment was 32 degrees and pitch black,” Wallack continued. “I stayed in bed under the covers and tried to pass the time.”

Worried that people wouldn’t be able to muster breakfast, Jackie Weissmiller, vice president of management company Veritee Property Solutions, drove to a nearby fast food restaurant and ordered 80 breakfast sandwiches.

“How many?” Weissmiller recalled the restaurant employee asking.

“Eighty,” she repeated. At that time, no one, including Weissmiller, could guess that power wouldn’t be restored for several days.

Thankfully, the Drippings Springs Methodist Church brought cases of bottled water, but for many people, hot water was not available.

One of the residents at Merritt, Mike Starick, worked at Pig Pen BBQ — near the corner of US Highway 290 and RR 12. He mentioned to the owners that he and the other seniors were waiting out the storm in the cold and dark, waiting for power to be restored.

“When Mike told me the people at Merritt were without electricity, we immediately began preparing food to take over to them,” said Pig Pen BBQ owner, Bill Warren.

“Mike helped us get the food to the right buildings and into the hands of the people who needed it.”

“When Pig Pen brought the dinner, it was a reason to come together as a group, eat a hot, delicious meal, swap stories and sit for a while together and talk,” Wallack said. “It was uplifting to be with neighbors after spending long hours in the dark and cold. We ate this huge barbeque dinner by flashlight with our coats and hats on, and it was so good.”

Last week, Veritee activities director Crystal Martinez and Weissmiller loaded up residents and took them to the Pig Pen to thank the owners for their generosity over a barbeque meal.

“The generosity of Mr. Warren and Ms. Matthews was really incredible,' Weissmiller said. “It was such a blessing to have a hot, home cooked meal while everyone was cold and in the dark. We were completely surprised by this unsolicited, straight-out gift of food. We are so grateful.”

Pig Pen BBQ is owned by Bill Warren and Michelle Matthews. A retired Austin Police Department sergeant, Warren knew how to organize food for large groups of people. At 14 years of age, he started in food service and kept at it part time during his tenure in the Coast Guard. He went on to provide food service for the police department during emergencies and for fundraising and other large events.

After he retired from APD, he and Matthews began catering, serving customers from a food trailer just down the road from their current location. In 2017, when the location at 301 US Highway 290 and RR 12 became available, they bought the property and undertook extensive remodeling.

“From day one, we were busy,” he said. “Our catering business has continued to grow, and today, we cater 140 events a year.”

“We feel very connected to this community,” Warren continued. “It’s great that the Merritt community has come today to thank us for helping out, but we did it, not for the attention it might bring us, but because it was the right thing to do.”

For additional information about Pig Pen BBQ, visit their website at pigpenbbq.com.