Barbecue brings Van Zandt County together in wake of two tragedies

A community barbecue fundraiser brought together more than 120 volunteers to support families affected by a deputy's death and a house fire that killed five people.

A Van Zandt County community is coming together over plates of barbecue to help families grieving two tragedies: the line-of-duty death of a sheriff's deputy and a house fire that killed a mother and four children.

Former restaurateur Ryan Hanson organized a barbecue fundraiser after learning about the death of Sheriff's Deputy Ahmed "Adam" Sherifi and an injured police officer. That same night, a house fire claimed five lives, leaving a 7-year-old child as the sole survivor.

Hanson said the news hit him hard.

"It kind of hit me like a ton of bricks," Hanson said.

While walking from his home to a shop on his property, Hanson decided he needed to do something to help the families.

He fired up his smokers and turned to what he knew best — feeding people.

"We know how to feed the masses and we got the property, and I’ve got friends in low places, so I wanted to bring the community to help them and also raise money," Hanson said.

What started with a barbecue pit, plates of food and a call for help quickly grew into a countywide effort.

"In the last two days, there’s been over 120 people volunteer to help me," Hanson said.

By noon, around 400 plates of barbecue had been served in exchange for donations.

For residents like Jim Bradberry, who lives in Van, the overwhelming response reflected the community's willingness to help neighbors in need.

"One of the reasons I live in Van is everybody pulls together," Bradberry said. "There’s something that’s going on, it doesn’t matter race, creed or whatever is going on, everybody pulls together to help."

Along with the food and fundraising, neighbors gathered in prayer. Sherifi's truck stood as a reminder of the loss that brought the community together.

Hanson said the gathering was about more than raising money. It was also about helping people through their grief.

"Helps people heal, all of them," Hanson said.

In a county facing heartbreak, Hanson said he hoped something positive could come from people supporting one another.

"The net positive of it all is what it’s all about," Hanson said.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.