Neighbors rally around well-known NE Portland man after the smoker for his barbecue business is stolen

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - Neighbors along Alberta are rallying around a man known for his kind heart and killer barbecue, after his smoker was stolen from his house, leaving him unable to make money.

And it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

James Dixon and his barbecue catering business “Dixon’s Rib Pit” is a staple at events like Last Thursday, and he knows every family on the street.

“All these women are my friends because while they were pregnant, I was feeding them more or less and their children came out and I think “Mr. Dixon” was the first words most of their children said. We’re that close,” Dixon said.

Daniel Greenstadt and other neighbors are now on a mission to help Dixon stay in the neighborhood because the home he’s rented for more than twenty years is being sold, along with the property next to it, he lost his wife last year, and now he can’t even do business catering events after thieves stole his mobile barbecue pit smoker and trailer from outside his house just over a week ago.

“Mr. Dixon has given so much for so many years to so many people in so many ways that he’s touched a lot of lives, and he’s never asked for anything,” Greenstadt said.

Dixon’s hope is to weld together a new smoker.

Neighbors started a GoFundMe to help him get the business back up and running, and they’re hoping for some help from the community to keep him in this neighborhood.

Find the GoFundMe by clicking here.

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