Bill Troxel has a habit of going into a Walmart or grocery store and seeking out people who look like they may need a little help. Hell walk up and give them a $20 bill. Or if hes in a restaurant and sees a young couple with young children who look like they may be struggling, hell lay down $20 to help cover their meal.

People just need to know that somebodys out there that thinks about them, said Troxel, 50.

This week, Troxel has been thinking a lot about his neighbors. On Sunday, the Richland Center farmer dug deep into his personal finances to donate Thanksgiving meal fixings to 208 area families.

His initial intention was to give out 155 boxes of Thanksgiving staples to symbolize the fact that each American farmer feeds 155 people every year, according to the

U.S. Department of Agriculture. So many people dont give it much thought and think that food comes from the grocery store, Troxel said. What started as an awareness campaign, grew into something much bigger.

Troxel is no stranger to unusual philanthropic activity, but this was the first year for this particular giveaway something hes wanted to do for the past three years.

Weve just had three of the worst years in farming that weve had since the 80s and the moneys been tight, said Troxel, who this year farmed 2,700 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa.

This year in May the planting was early, the crops were looking good. I kind of committed then and said, One way or another, we are going to make this work and do it this year, and Im really glad I did, he said.

Melinda Jones of Gotham is glad he did, too. Jones husband, David, works at the Richland Center foundry, and she works at the local Kwik Trip. The couple have three children, ages 1, 5 and 11, and were unsure how they could afford a Thanksgiving dinner this year.

It was wonderful, Melinda Jones said of Troxels generosity. There are so many families that need help and cant really get it. The middle class is stuck. We make too much to get help, yet we still need it.

Janice Hess, 60, who lives in an apartment complex across from the Richland Center Community Center where the meals were distributed Sunday, also was grateful for the help. Her husband is in a nursing home, and they are on a fixed income.

She is stretching out the groceries she got Sunday, preparing a meal to serve in the commons area of her building today and a family dinner over the weekend. Its going to make a difference really, she said.

Bill has always been such a good, thoughtful, helpful citizen of Richland County, and Ive known him since he was a box boy at Burnstads (Market). Hed box up our groceries when our kids were little.

Both Hess and Jones were nominated for the gift by an anonymous party, and both said they appreciate the gesture. It brings the holiday spirit, Jones said.

A month ago, Troxel put an ad with instructions on how to apply for the Thanksgiving meal in the local paper for two weeks. The applications trickled in at first, but then word spread. Soon, more than 155 people applied or were nominated, and Troxel said he didnt have the heart to turn anybody down.

He heard from young, single mothers and retired farmers with health problems, he said. There are just so many in need. You just dont realize that every day. You take for granted that everything is fine, but boy, its just tough out there.

Troxel spent about $60 per meal, including advertising costs and the price of mailing letters to the recipients with instructions on picking up the food. His original budget was $9,000, but he wound up spending about $12,500. He didnt directly produce any of the food himself, instead buying it from ET Foods, a rural grocery in Richland Center.

As for where his generous spirit comes from, Troxel credits his humble Richland Center upbringing. His father worked for the county highway department and his mother worked for a now defunct company that made tiny motors. He spent weekends on his grandparents farm.

We never had an excesses of anything, but we always had enough to be able to share a little with other people or not have to go to a cupboard that was bare, he said.

I think about that a lot of times, how fortunate I was when I grew up. I never had to face the stuff that a lot of these families face today, he said, adding that the economy is squeezing people from all directions.

It just comes with my ability to read people and feel for their needs, Troxel said. Im just a compassionate person. You can kind of tell when people are hurting and are a little reserved, you just try to step up and help.