Baldwin County Sheriff Hoss Mack recently recognized Teresa Hicks with the 2015 Supporting the Star Award for her help and service to the sheriff’s office – something she’s been doing for years.

The owner of Teresa’s BBQ in Bay Minette, Hicks has always had a heart for helping people in her community.

Mack said he and other law enforcement officials across the county gather together every few months to share ideas and information that help keep Baldwin County safe, but he suspects they might all agree to come for a different reason.

“One thing that I’m always able to bring together with is food, and a lot of that comes to use from Teresa,” Mack said. “She’s a great supporter of the sheriff’s office. Any time I go into her restaurant, she always greets everyone with a smile and she’s a big supporter of law enforcement in general.”

Even while receiving her award, Hicks was gracious and had few words.

“All I can say is ‘Thank you’ and if you have anything you ever need, all you need to do is call,” Hicks said.

Hicks later said she’s always been happy to help with law enforcement because of the good she feels they bring to the community.

“If you ever sit down and really talk to them, people don’t know what they go through every day,” Hicks said. “They do a lot of good, and people don’t see it.”

North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Director Ashley Jones Davis said Hicks has been a staple in North Baldwin for years and that many people have benefitted from her kindness and generosity.

Davis took time to read a letter from Hicks’ daughter Courtney during the Tuesday commission meeting that further summed up the legacy of giving back that her mother has created.

“For generations, family and friends alike have bonded over food, and Teresa has single-handedly put forth an immense amount of effort fostering just that type of ‘home away from home’ environment for this community,” the letter read. “She has advocated for local schools, local politics and for other businesses that serve as the cornerstone for this wonderful place we all call home.”

Even before she opened her restaurant, Hicks was like a surrogate mother to many around the Bay Minette area.

“All of the kids knew when Momma was cooking and where the snack cabinet was,” Courtney said. “Some of them even had the security code to get in the house. It is my belief that her love of feeding people truly began there.”

As kids got off the bus near her old store, she always had a jar of pickles or some bubble gum on hand for the kids to enjoy – for some them, it was the highlight of their day.

“Her heart truly knows no boundaries and is mirrored in the pride of the product she serves daily,” the letter read.

Hicks said she liked being able to give back to people because she knows what it was like to not have much, growing up being raised by a single mother.

“When I was coming up, I grew up poor but we were rich in love,” Hicks said. “We always had food to eat, but we never had what we wanted to eat. People don’t always get what they want where food is concerned.”

Hicks said her mission has always been to try to help make sure people get enough to eat, and to make sure what they do get is made well.

“I just love to feed people and make sure they have enough,” Hicks said. “I don’t ever want anybody to leave hungry. It’s just in me to make sure that everybody gets what they want and that they have plenty, and it’s all made with love and pride.”