REVERE — For many, Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for all that you have in your life. For Saber Abougalala, Thanksgiving is a time to provide and care for those who are less fortunate.
Abougalala, the owner of the Good Diner restaurant, has been delivering Thanksgiving meals to Revere’s First Congregational Church for eight years. He and his family spend the night before the holiday preparing turkeys, mashed potatoes and other holiday classics for those in need.
Abougalala said the reason he delivers meals is out of compassion and his love for the community. For these efforts, he has been named Essex Media Group’s “Person of the Year” for Revere.
“I do this with my wife and sometimes my kids for over 16 hours,” Abougalala said. “I like helping everyone; I love this community.”
Abougalala credited his mother for teaching him the values of charity and community.
“I got it from my mother. She liked to help others as well,” he said.
Abougalala moved to Massachusetts from Egypt in 1992. He lived in the North End of Boston, where he worked at a pizza restaurant, and said he has been in the food industry for most of his life.
“I started at a pizza place before the Good Diner,” he said. “I learned how to cook, prepare meals and just worked the best I could.”
In 2000, Abougalala married his wife, Shiima, and moved to Revere, where they had three children: Abdel, Adam and Hannah. In 2009, Abougalala opened the Good Diner restaurant with Shiima; the pair have been serving classic comfort food for more than 12 years.
“We serve a lot of people in the community,” says Abougalala. “I love meeting new people that come in every day.”
In 2014, Abougalala decided to give back to the community by preparing Thanksgiving meals for those in need. He and his family delivered the meals to the First Congregational Church and Senior Center across town. Each year since then, Abougalala has continued this tradition ― except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was disappointing that we couldn’t give meals to them last year. I wish we could have done more,” Abougalala said.
Abougalala is no stranger to Revere and has been honored for his good deeds by the community. In 2018, he and his wife were awarded a Certificate of Commendation by the City Council for donating food to the victims of a five-alarm fire that occurred on Sep. 16 of that year.
Abougalala said that ever since he arrived in Revere, he has fallen in love with the people there and wishes to continue to give back in other ways.
“I want to put up a big sign in front of my restaurant thanking police and firefighters, maybe even give them a discount,” said Abougalala. “I love this community with all of my heart.”
