Day 10 from the Phoenix Airport

Circus and I took the morning “off” and slept in. The nice thing about the U-Haul is that there are no windows in the back so we really have no idea how light it is or what time it is. Thanks to Captain John’s loan of a small space heater which we hook up to a generator at night, it is pretty cozy in the U-Haul Inn. That can be a double edged sword, though, when you are trying to get up at a certain time. This morning we had to sort out some logistical things like keeping the U-Haul 10 more days and Circus changing his flight. With the full support of the Rainbow Rapid Response and our donors, Circus decided to extend his stay for 10 more days. Tomorrow I will check around and try to get a flight back for next weekend, Thanksgiving.

The kitchen was an organized chaos as the cooking and prep tents were moving into the big tent while lunch was being prepared by Victor, Cheshire, Anne, and other dedicated volunteers. As soon as I poked my head out of the U-Haul, people asked how they could offer support of our run for the day and what the plan was with keeping or returning the truck. We wanted to do a short run around Union Beach, our local crowd. The Organic Valley truck left about noon for Keansburg, an area with tremendous need.  Alice said Chick Filet had donated hundreds of hot chicken sandwiches which were available for us to take out – which they ended up not being available but that’s a long story. Coffee and hot water were being prepared and our dishes from last night were clean and ready to go. A volunteer from Wisconsin, Tim aka Tranquil will be my replacement on the U-Hungry café, at least for the next few days. He came with us again today and was oriented on meal ideas, food and cooking supplies, and daily prep. To be honest, the UHungry café is a bit of a mess even though I clean it twice a day but I think he’ll manage just fine. On today’s menu were meatball subs – always a hit – and baked ziti which was donated hot early this afternoon. With the usual juice, Rice Krispy treats, Costco cookies, and bagged lunches, we were stocked for the 100 people we served.

When I called corporate UHaul to ask about extending my contract, a very rude woman hung up on me. They have decided not to compensate us off the regular cost of the rental which is $40 a day and $0.40 a mile. We paid $650 up front when we rented the truck including a $100 deposit which we owe for mileage through today. I talked to a nice man at our local UHaul in Philly and he happily extended the contract at that same rate for another 10 days. The cost will be paid from the donations on our Wepay and the Rainbow Rapid Response Wepay. We’ve also spent about $200 in fuel which will have to be covered again, although probably not as much since Circus plans to stay local and we can drop off the truck anywhere. His flight will be out of Newark the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

Our last run through Union Beach was with volunteers Tim (Wisconsin), Travis (California), and Matt (Philadelphia). Our diners always ask where we are from and it’s nice for people to know that we aren’t from one group, church, or organization. We often say that we are a dis-organization, just people here to help. Apparently CNN did a story on the Union Firehouse Grill a week or so ago and they linked our kitchen to the Waveland Café which set up for about 6 months in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. A picture that Circus posted on our first day out in the UHungry also went viral in the last few days. It is of us feeding FEMA members from the back of our truck and got the meem “You know your government sucks when #OccupySandy volunteers are feeding them” or something like that. It’s on both of our fb pages. While I’m not into Red Cross or FEMA bashing, they all work incredibly hard and I’ve met some wonderful volunteers and workers in both organizations, it is a little funny. We passed the same group of young FEMA members today and they did NOT take anything from out truck when we offered. I wonder why? Another funny story from our food run today which I’m sure Circus has posted on his page by now: A Red Cross truck in Union Beach hit an SUV. We fed the woman, her neighbor, a hungry cat, and the Mennonite volunteers who were gutting her house at the time. Talk about adding insult to injury…we’re providing disaster relief from Disaster Relief! Next time you donate to the Red Cross I hope your money doesn’t go to car insurance bills!

It was nice to see our locals and say a few goodbyes this afternoon. Allie, a Jersey volunteer, drove myself and Matt to Philly right in time to catch my flight. I got to the gate just as they were boarding all rows, transferred planes in Phoenix and again walked up to the gate as they announced my zone. Circus and I said goodbye in the Firehouse, hopefully just for a week. It was a hard decision for him to stay as he does have work to return to and his tensions have been running high the last few days. We both believe so much in the work, though, and we both believe it was the best decision fro him to stay. There is so much support for what we are doing, both from Union Beach, the Firehouse, and far and wide and we would like to continue it as long as we can. This won’t be the last time we do disaster relief work, either. I am on my flight to Seattle from Phoenix as I type this and will upload it when I get home in a few hours. My kind little brother who just moved back to Seattle 2 weeks ago is picking me up at the airport at 2am PST.

I’m teaching 8 classes in the next 3 days and have a “regular” schedule through Wednesday of teaching yoga and music. It’s been hard for me to miss 2 weeks of classes and I do miss my students who range in age from 5 to 70. I’ll miss my beautiful partner, Circus, too, without whom I would not have undertaken this adventure. The UHungry Café was his vision, he saw it from Seattle and saw it through with the help of Wray from Reading, PA and the Reading Area Peace Kitchen, our generous donors, and all of the volunteers and supporters of the Union Firehouse Grill, service men and women, and residents of Union Beach. Who would have thought cooking food out of the back of a 17’ UHaul would be such a success?!

Thanks for reading, I’ll try to keep updating you with what I hear from the ground. Stay warm and safe!