Story of the day from Union Beach: A woman in the area came by for lunch
today and shared this with Sarai. She had 2 sheds which were destroyed
by Sandy's wrath and her house took in about 4 feet of water. Her son
had died a few years ago and in that shed were all the photos and
memories of him which she thought destroyed. While digging through the
rubble, the only salvageable thing she found was a plastic tub with
photos of her son.
Things were running as usual this morning when we pulled open the back of the U-Haul to the sunshine and cold air. Breakfast was being served to the masses and the kitchen was preparing lunch, plus food for our mobile unit and the other mobile unit. (Over 40 lbs of bacon were fried from 6-9am, a personal hell for one volunteer). I'll start with the meal count for the day which was 1335, nearly half of which was served on the road. The Union Firehouse Grill has become a household name and it has been more than a pleasure and a blessing to be a part of it. And to our neighbors, so has the UHungry Cafe!
Circus and I spent the morning prepping for our big day out to NY. We had a contact through a good friend of mine for a Community Center in the Far Rockaways, a hard hit area, where they could use hot meals. We did a late night Costco run last night but had to stop for gas and a few extra items this morning. We took Ashi and Cheshire, the amazing volunteers who have been organizing the kitchen since their arrival last Thursday. That is not to say that all of our volunteers aren't amazing or that they're doing anything single-handedly, but they were instrumental in making sure we could feed the big jump in numbers last weekend, from 400 a day to 1500 meals. Ashi was going back to Brooklyn today so he came for the ride and Cheshire stayed in the truck to make and distribute hot sandwiches from the UHungry.
When we finally go down to the "finger" of Brooklyn, we decided to take a detour through Rockaway and Breezy Point. You may have heard of Breezy Point on the news, they were one of the first areas covered by media because during the storm a natural gas leak set the whole town ablaze. They were also hit by an airplane a few years ago, and a lot of firefighters and service people were killed in 9/11 from that town. We drove through the one main street that you can access to see if we could offer food but we saw other food trucks so we just did a once around. It was like a war zone. There were police, EMS, and aid workers everywhere. Insurance cars and tents were set up on every corner and police directing traffic since there is no electricity. We saw national guard, Red Cross, FEMA, etc, etc. Piles of rubbish were heaped, mostly off the streets but some debris still in front of flooded, condemned and evacuated houses. It is one of the devastated areas and you can see why when you're there. They are surrounded by water and at a very low elevation. Another sad scene, but we're glad we were in the area and saw the difference in the devastation here from our base in Union Beach and different amounts of relief aid.
At the Ocean Bay Community Center - turned distribution center - we set up a table outside for meatball subs, bacon sandwiches, drinks and snacks. Cheshire and I made up sandwiches as fast as they could be given out and people took all the snacks and drinks we brought while Circus manned the table. Whereas in Union Beach we often have to beg people to take our food - "Give it to someone who really needs it!" is often yelled back at us - in the Far Rockaways we had to ask folks to leave some for the next people. People took as much food as they could carry, then came back for more to feed large families and communities. We experienced a similar need in Keansburg yesterday. Most of the area is below the poverty line, so people did have much to begin with but now they don't have water or power. We served for about 3 hours, until the center closed and business slowed to a halt. I feel like our services were needed and appreciated and I'm glad we did the work to go support a different community.
One request we got again and again was for jugs of water. We had brought a few and gave them away when requested. People also asked us for flashlights and batteries. We spent an hour or so trolling the streets after we left the community center in our usual method. People were surprised and excited for something warm. It's cold out here and the people we met have no power yet. We did see a number of power crews working hard, just like they have been in NJ. Those men and women have a thankless job and have been working tirelessly, as well as garbage pick up, fork-lift operators, and all civil servants. One NYPD officer climbed about our mobile cafe to check things out and chat us up for a bit. She told us to "not let them scam us!" but we replied that what we are offering is free for all. Food trucks have been very prevalent in NY for the relief efforts but it felt like the area we were in, the Far Rockaways, is a little neglected. As we were finishing our rounds and just headed back towards base in NJ - a 2 hour drive - we did drive past what looked like a relief kitchen, big tents in a fire yard. It was just a guess, though.
I'm glad we went to a different area today but I missed my regulars in Union Beach. Tomorrow I'm hoping to do a quick lunch round in the UHungry Cafe before I have to head to Philly to catch my red eye home. Circus and I are both reaching some physical and emotional limits after 10 days of relief work and we've spent near every penny you've donated on the UHaul, food supplies for the Union Firehouse Grill and the UHungry Cafe, and gas, plus there will be a little more expense for mileage when we return the truck. Circus is still on the fence about coming home with me tomorrow. If we have the support to keep the Cafe running then he will continue the work with a new crew of volunteers. I would love to come back Thanksgiving weekend to join him if I can get a flight. I've already had some generous people offer me help with the plane ticket so I'll continue to work on manifesting that!
When we returned tonight, a new big tent was assembled which will become and kitchen and prep tent tomorrow. Donations are coming in abundance and our 53' refrigerator truck is filling up with fresh produce, diary products and meat to serve hot meals to all. We hope that everyone in the area knows about our kitchen and has the ability to come to us...if not we do our best to come to them.
Tomorrow will be a hard day of saying goodbye - hopefully just 'see you later' - to Union Beach and the volunteers at the firehouse. We are certainly a family and people have openly expressed their love for the work Circus and I are doing as we have for all of them. We're just one part of this whole adventure which is affected by every person who comes through. We had 43 volunteers in total today, some just for the day and some who are camped here. Many are turning over this weekend, coming back or leaving to return to families and work. It will be a bittersweet day but nice to sleep in my own bed for a few hours Friday morning and cuddle with our kitty. Wherever you are, I hope I will see you soon!
Things were running as usual this morning when we pulled open the back of the U-Haul to the sunshine and cold air. Breakfast was being served to the masses and the kitchen was preparing lunch, plus food for our mobile unit and the other mobile unit. (Over 40 lbs of bacon were fried from 6-9am, a personal hell for one volunteer). I'll start with the meal count for the day which was 1335, nearly half of which was served on the road. The Union Firehouse Grill has become a household name and it has been more than a pleasure and a blessing to be a part of it. And to our neighbors, so has the UHungry Cafe!
Circus and I spent the morning prepping for our big day out to NY. We had a contact through a good friend of mine for a Community Center in the Far Rockaways, a hard hit area, where they could use hot meals. We did a late night Costco run last night but had to stop for gas and a few extra items this morning. We took Ashi and Cheshire, the amazing volunteers who have been organizing the kitchen since their arrival last Thursday. That is not to say that all of our volunteers aren't amazing or that they're doing anything single-handedly, but they were instrumental in making sure we could feed the big jump in numbers last weekend, from 400 a day to 1500 meals. Ashi was going back to Brooklyn today so he came for the ride and Cheshire stayed in the truck to make and distribute hot sandwiches from the UHungry.
When we finally go down to the "finger" of Brooklyn, we decided to take a detour through Rockaway and Breezy Point. You may have heard of Breezy Point on the news, they were one of the first areas covered by media because during the storm a natural gas leak set the whole town ablaze. They were also hit by an airplane a few years ago, and a lot of firefighters and service people were killed in 9/11 from that town. We drove through the one main street that you can access to see if we could offer food but we saw other food trucks so we just did a once around. It was like a war zone. There were police, EMS, and aid workers everywhere. Insurance cars and tents were set up on every corner and police directing traffic since there is no electricity. We saw national guard, Red Cross, FEMA, etc, etc. Piles of rubbish were heaped, mostly off the streets but some debris still in front of flooded, condemned and evacuated houses. It is one of the devastated areas and you can see why when you're there. They are surrounded by water and at a very low elevation. Another sad scene, but we're glad we were in the area and saw the difference in the devastation here from our base in Union Beach and different amounts of relief aid.
At the Ocean Bay Community Center - turned distribution center - we set up a table outside for meatball subs, bacon sandwiches, drinks and snacks. Cheshire and I made up sandwiches as fast as they could be given out and people took all the snacks and drinks we brought while Circus manned the table. Whereas in Union Beach we often have to beg people to take our food - "Give it to someone who really needs it!" is often yelled back at us - in the Far Rockaways we had to ask folks to leave some for the next people. People took as much food as they could carry, then came back for more to feed large families and communities. We experienced a similar need in Keansburg yesterday. Most of the area is below the poverty line, so people did have much to begin with but now they don't have water or power. We served for about 3 hours, until the center closed and business slowed to a halt. I feel like our services were needed and appreciated and I'm glad we did the work to go support a different community.
One request we got again and again was for jugs of water. We had brought a few and gave them away when requested. People also asked us for flashlights and batteries. We spent an hour or so trolling the streets after we left the community center in our usual method. People were surprised and excited for something warm. It's cold out here and the people we met have no power yet. We did see a number of power crews working hard, just like they have been in NJ. Those men and women have a thankless job and have been working tirelessly, as well as garbage pick up, fork-lift operators, and all civil servants. One NYPD officer climbed about our mobile cafe to check things out and chat us up for a bit. She told us to "not let them scam us!" but we replied that what we are offering is free for all. Food trucks have been very prevalent in NY for the relief efforts but it felt like the area we were in, the Far Rockaways, is a little neglected. As we were finishing our rounds and just headed back towards base in NJ - a 2 hour drive - we did drive past what looked like a relief kitchen, big tents in a fire yard. It was just a guess, though.
I'm glad we went to a different area today but I missed my regulars in Union Beach. Tomorrow I'm hoping to do a quick lunch round in the UHungry Cafe before I have to head to Philly to catch my red eye home. Circus and I are both reaching some physical and emotional limits after 10 days of relief work and we've spent near every penny you've donated on the UHaul, food supplies for the Union Firehouse Grill and the UHungry Cafe, and gas, plus there will be a little more expense for mileage when we return the truck. Circus is still on the fence about coming home with me tomorrow. If we have the support to keep the Cafe running then he will continue the work with a new crew of volunteers. I would love to come back Thanksgiving weekend to join him if I can get a flight. I've already had some generous people offer me help with the plane ticket so I'll continue to work on manifesting that!
When we returned tonight, a new big tent was assembled which will become and kitchen and prep tent tomorrow. Donations are coming in abundance and our 53' refrigerator truck is filling up with fresh produce, diary products and meat to serve hot meals to all. We hope that everyone in the area knows about our kitchen and has the ability to come to us...if not we do our best to come to them.
Tomorrow will be a hard day of saying goodbye - hopefully just 'see you later' - to Union Beach and the volunteers at the firehouse. We are certainly a family and people have openly expressed their love for the work Circus and I are doing as we have for all of them. We're just one part of this whole adventure which is affected by every person who comes through. We had 43 volunteers in total today, some just for the day and some who are camped here. Many are turning over this weekend, coming back or leaving to return to families and work. It will be a bittersweet day but nice to sleep in my own bed for a few hours Friday morning and cuddle with our kitty. Wherever you are, I hope I will see you soon!
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