SAN JOSE, Calif. – A South Bay father showed his appreciation to first responders this Thanksgiving by delivering homemade pies to more than a dozen firehouses in San Jose.
Eric Harvey said it was his way of giving back after firefighters answered his 911 call four years ago during a life-changing moment for his family.
A birth at home
The backstory:
“I called 911, my wife was like, ‘Call 911!’ I was like, ‘Get in the car!’ It was an argument, and I go, ‘Wait, don’t get in the car, you’re apparently going into labor right now,’” Harvey said.
His now 4-year-old son, Tony, was unexpectedly born in the bathroom of their home in the early-morning hours of 2021.
“No less than nine first responders in my living room,” he said.
Harvey delivered his third son with help from firefighters with Station 18’s Bravo crew.
Now he’s giving back to the men and women who answer calls — even on holidays.
“I served in the Navy also for six years, and I was fully deployed on an aircraft carrier, four years on an aircraft carrier, so I’ve been gone for the holidays before,” he said.
Growing tradition
What we know:
The tradition started during the pandemic, when Harvey brought two pies to Station 18.
“I’m trying to reach out to these people on a one-to-one level and let them know there’s someone in the community who pays attention and knows they’re there,” he said.
It grew from there.
“The next year was two stations, four pies,” he said. “The year after was four stations, eight pies.”
After spending about 15 hours in the kitchen, hundreds of dollars on supplies, and making multiple trips to the grocery store, Harvey has created a new tradition showing his boys how to practice generosity.
Harvey said the community helped him raise the money to bake 28 pies this year, serving 14 stations in San Jose.
“My original goal was to raise $100. I raised $1,000,” he said.
Looking ahead
What’s next:
He hopes to expand to all 34 San Jose fire stations next year.
“This year I covered 41% of stations, so next year’s 34 stations times two, 68 pies,” he said.
A couple more stations can expect deliveries on Friday.
As for Tony, he hopes to be a firefighter when he grows up, often dressing as one for Halloween.
“Three years in a row, this guy’s a firefighter,” Harvey said with a smile.