Hanks Donut Shop Being Forced Out

T&L Food Mart, aka. Hanks donuts and kolaches shop is scheduled to be torn down and forcibly removed after 18 years due to construction sometime between now and February 2018. I'm sure many of you personally know Heng Taing and his wife Yeang Taing, and know them by their preferred nicknames of Hank and Mrs. Hank. They have been providing the Forest Village subdivision as well as the entire Spring area with the best kolaches and donuts ever produced by mankind for the past 18 years!

Heng and Yeang grew up with their families in rural China where their fathers farmed rice fields until the early 1970's, when both families moved to the same village in Cambodia. The two became quick friends which grew into a great love and were married in 1976. Many people relate "war-torn" when hearing of Cambodia, and that association couldn't be more correct, especially right before Henq and Yeang were wed.

1975 in Cambodia is known as Year Zero. All city dwellers are forcibly moved to the countryside to become agricultural workers. Money becomes worthless, basic freedoms are curtailed and religion is banned. The Khmer Rouge coin the phrase "Year Zero". Hundreds of thousands of the educated middle-classes are tortured and executed in special centres. Others starve, or die from disease or exhaustion. The total death toll during the next three years is estimated to be at least 1.7 million.

They managed to make it to the states in 1980 after losing everything and worked odds and ends jobs until they were finally able to open up their donut and kolache shop in 1998. This area was much different back then, relatively quiet, which this area seems now to be nothing but. Every single day for the past 18 years, Heng and his wife and son have worked tirelessly, getting to the shop at 2:30a.m. every single morning until 8 at night only to rush home, do laundry, cook dinner and sleep for 4 hours before waking up and doing it all over. Hank told me in the past 18 years, he hasn't had a single vacation, or a day off. Yeang said that she gets half a day on Sunday to do all the house work and most nights she has trouble falling asleep until 12 or 1 in the morning.

Now after so much dedication and time, they are told with little notice they are to vacate the premises since the owner wouldn't sell the shop to them and has already sold the building out from under their feet to a man that's going to tear all of their hard work and dreams down for a new construction project. With Heng and Yeang being at the age of 63 and 61 respectively, they are left with no other options but to start a brand new business from scratch since the past 18 years have left no extra money for an early retirement.

After they told me their heart breaking story I told them I would at least start this GoFundMe page to help them out with an early retirement and Mrs. Taing was so overwhelmed with gratitude, tears started streaming down her face.

This happens all too often, where newer development and expansion comes through an area like a hurricane leaving destruction and shattered dreams in its wake. I cannot think of a more deserving business and family to receive some form of life preserver after the flood, some compensation or a sign of appreciation from the community they've served for nearly two decades however small or large it may be.

All donations will be given directly to Heng in an attempt to give some stability to him and his family after having their business ripped away from them. Any support would be much appreciated. Thankyou so much for your offer, it couldn't go to a better cause!