So sorry for the delay in posting but I'm back and safe here in NJ. I arrived yesterday night and Heather Bee, a volunteer in Union Beach picked me up in Newark and drove me to Keansburg where I met Circus and the UHungry? Cafe en route. It was a happy reunion on the beach, and then we took off to finish the Thanksgiving dinner run in this hard-hit area. It's nice to be back "home", on the UHaul with hard working volunteers. But the devastation here has not lessened in the past week. The piles of debris are still being excavated and some houses are beginning to sprout toxic black mold as an after-effect of the flooding. We served a family of 6 in Keansburg this evening and "Lefty", a resident volunteer said that their house was infested with mold.
Today was back into the routine of the UHungry Cafe, morning prep with Circus, Tranquil, Lefty, and Aaron, and then a very long day serving the residents of Union Beach, Keansburg, the closest neighboring town, and the Highlands which is about 15 miles south of Union Beach. We estimate our day's service at 700 meals. Our lunch rush started a few blocks away from the Firehouse with a crew of 40workers, plus the neighborhood. Then it was off to Keansburg which has become more regular than Union Beach for us since their need is greater and they happily take the food we bring. Channel 4 New York did a story on us after they ran into Circus and the gang yesterday on Front St. in Union Beach. You can find it on our facebook pages.
We quickly served all of our burgers but had stocked more than enough turkey for hot and cold sandwiches which were served up in gourmet fashion with gravy, caramelized onions and cranberry sauce. There were so many donations of turkey for Thanksgiving, it will surely be a staple meal this weekend. After Heather Bee met us with our re-stock shuttle and brought us more burgers, bacon, and meatballs for sandwiches, we continued serving the under-served residents of Keansburg and then moved on the The Highlands. It was the first time I had been to this hard-hit community. We were there after dark so foot traffic was slower but we served some large families. A local plumber found us and asked us to come up to a nearby trailer park which is STILL suffering from lack of electricity and hot water. The residents happily relieved us of a lot of our dinner food but we decided to swing back through Keansburg on our way back to Union Beach. The sidewalks there are still full of debris and the miles of ever changing rubbish piles. The people we serve are beyond grateful for a hot meal, some of whom only eat once a day when we roll through. Fortunately we leave them with food for the next day.
Circus and I have 3 more days with the UHungry? Cafe and then we return to Seattle and to our "real lives" Tuesday night - I use that term very liberally. Upon my arrival, I found out that the kitchen at the Firehouse on Florence will serve its last meal this Sunday and break down the camp Monday. The firehouse who's property we're occupying wants to finish their renovation and move back in on Monday. Circus, myself, and our other volunteers will be cooking and serving autonomously that day, our last day out. In light of the transition from the Union Firehouse Grill to whatever will come next (still being worked out this weekend), Circus and I are considering taking any remaining donations that we have received and hosting several families here in in New Jersey for Christmas. Please note that any further donations you make in our wepay account might go to that cause. Plus, we've heard that UHaul might be covering the truck rental, heard but not confirmed, in which case we'll have a little more extra money than we had planned on which may also go toward this effort. As always though, we would like to check in with our amazing donors before making any conclusive decisions in this matter. Whatever we decide, I'm sure we will continue to serve the people who have survived Sandy and plan on rebuilding their lives in this part of the country that they call "home".
Today was back into the routine of the UHungry Cafe, morning prep with Circus, Tranquil, Lefty, and Aaron, and then a very long day serving the residents of Union Beach, Keansburg, the closest neighboring town, and the Highlands which is about 15 miles south of Union Beach. We estimate our day's service at 700 meals. Our lunch rush started a few blocks away from the Firehouse with a crew of 40workers, plus the neighborhood. Then it was off to Keansburg which has become more regular than Union Beach for us since their need is greater and they happily take the food we bring. Channel 4 New York did a story on us after they ran into Circus and the gang yesterday on Front St. in Union Beach. You can find it on our facebook pages.
We quickly served all of our burgers but had stocked more than enough turkey for hot and cold sandwiches which were served up in gourmet fashion with gravy, caramelized onions and cranberry sauce. There were so many donations of turkey for Thanksgiving, it will surely be a staple meal this weekend. After Heather Bee met us with our re-stock shuttle and brought us more burgers, bacon, and meatballs for sandwiches, we continued serving the under-served residents of Keansburg and then moved on the The Highlands. It was the first time I had been to this hard-hit community. We were there after dark so foot traffic was slower but we served some large families. A local plumber found us and asked us to come up to a nearby trailer park which is STILL suffering from lack of electricity and hot water. The residents happily relieved us of a lot of our dinner food but we decided to swing back through Keansburg on our way back to Union Beach. The sidewalks there are still full of debris and the miles of ever changing rubbish piles. The people we serve are beyond grateful for a hot meal, some of whom only eat once a day when we roll through. Fortunately we leave them with food for the next day.
Circus and I have 3 more days with the UHungry? Cafe and then we return to Seattle and to our "real lives" Tuesday night - I use that term very liberally. Upon my arrival, I found out that the kitchen at the Firehouse on Florence will serve its last meal this Sunday and break down the camp Monday. The firehouse who's property we're occupying wants to finish their renovation and move back in on Monday. Circus, myself, and our other volunteers will be cooking and serving autonomously that day, our last day out. In light of the transition from the Union Firehouse Grill to whatever will come next (still being worked out this weekend), Circus and I are considering taking any remaining donations that we have received and hosting several families here in in New Jersey for Christmas. Please note that any further donations you make in our wepay account might go to that cause. Plus, we've heard that UHaul might be covering the truck rental, heard but not confirmed, in which case we'll have a little more extra money than we had planned on which may also go toward this effort. As always though, we would like to check in with our amazing donors before making any conclusive decisions in this matter. Whatever we decide, I'm sure we will continue to serve the people who have survived Sandy and plan on rebuilding their lives in this part of the country that they call "home".
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