A local restaurant owner decided to use her cooking skills to show appreciation to teachers by offering them free meals over the past week.

Panda Garden owner Joyce Cheng made the decision to offer free meals to teachers when she could not make the trip to Frankfort to support teachers at the recent rally held at the capital.

In a letter she published on her Facebook page, Cheng explained her reasons for showing appreciation.

“Thank you for keeping my kids in Sunshine pre-school /sunshine day care (9 out 10 times they were still in their PJ’s) while I had to work full time to pay my bills when they were little. Thank you teachers who showed up at my door to remind me to register them for kindergarten. Thank you teachers who paid attention to my kids and guided me on how to help them at home in parent/teacher meetings. Thank you for teachers who stayed after school hours to work with my kids who were about to fail…Thank you for teachers who work in the office and called me when my kid skipped school and got in trouble (yes, it happened to all of my kids). Thank you for teachers who stand by me and help me through when my kids go through depression/anxiety (parents and students: don’t be afraid to talk to the school, this could happen to anyone). Thank you teachers who spend days and nights to help my kids with how to apply for scholarships and college…Thank you for teachers who believe in my kids, teach them, guide them and show them the right path to follow. Thank you to teachers who stay at ball games and cheer my kids after school hours…THE END.”

Cheng, a mother of six, says she credits teachers for her children’s academic success.

“One already got his chemical engineering degree,” Cheng said. “One is working toward her Ph.D. degree, two are in the pre-medicine field and one is a junior and has had straight A’s.”

Cheng pointed out she only wants to show her appreciation.

“This is not an advertisement for Panda Garden,” Cheng said on her Facebook post. “This is just me as parent…who appreciates what teachers did for my children.”