Her Greatest Gift Is Giving

The notion of ketchup soup got Reiko Pearson started on her mission.

Pearson caught a television commercial while living in South Carolina several years ago that aimed to highlight the plight of the poor. The spot showed a mother and her two children scrounging for ketchup packets and emptying them into a pot to eke out some simple sustenance.

"That was it for me," Pearson recalled. "I got on my knees and said, 'God, show me what to do to keep one kid from eating ketchup soup.'"

Pearson got to work, collecting and handing out food to the underprivileged.

The New York City native moved to Brooksville four years ago - different city, same goal. For the last three holiday seasons, Pearson, 49, has cooked up big feasts in her cozy kitchen and dished them out to the needy. Last year, some 75 people came to her Thanksgiving dinner.