We are expanding! This morning started with the arrival of canopy tents which have been set up over our eating area and serving line. Just in time since the rain is supposed to start tonight. Isn't that just how it is? A few times since I've been here I've "asked" for something and it magically appears, like a spatula last night which someone had just donated and stick lighters the night before. Our amazing kitchen crew was up before the crack of dawn cooking a mean breakfast hash and getting it into serving cambros at 8am. A big addition last night was a 53 foot refrigerator truck (!!!!) which we need to store all of the donated food we keep receiving.
The people of Union Beach are trying to return to normal this week. Schools reopened today and many who could went back to work. Of course, many have lost their jobs or can't return to work. The work in the streets was a lot quieter, with not as many people coming in from neighboring towns or states. We did meet volunteer clean-up crews on the streets but it was a lot quieter than the weekend. Understandably, everybody has to return to their "normal lives." Our number of volunteers at the Union Firehouse Cafe were down today, too, but jobs becoming more organized and most people have specific committees. New faces jump in and do what needs to be done, working tirelessly to feed our masses.
Circus and I set to work getting the newly christened UHungry Cafe ready to go for our lunch and dinner deliveries. We thought we would serve less meals today but we still served a lot of meals! Another crew of incredibly energetic and positive volunteers blessed our truck with songs, laughter and hot food for all and we spent the whole day on the road, hitting some of our regular spots and regular customers, plus some new streets and faces. Today on the menu were a few pork roll sandwiches, meatball subs, and turkey quesadillas (which sold much better as "turkey wraps"), plus the usual beverage selection. Some blocks we went door to door and some we just grabbed people working in the streets.
We sold out of nearly everything on the lunch menu and had a "mid-air refueling" as Circus likes to call it. Heather B, a wonderful volunteer here, met us in the streets with a restock of coffee and the dinner menu cooked by the talented chefs at the Union Firehouse Grill. Homemade mac n' cheese, chicken tortellini, and turkey sandwiches were a hit. For dinner service we stop when we see a light on in a house and knock on the door. A lot of people are shy to take the food we offer but eventually most accept a plate. Many still have no cars and no houses. Some are still waiting for insurance appraisers to come and look at the damage before they can start ripping out flooded house parts. And some are just trying to sift through debris and salvage what they can. My favorite story of the day: A woman who's house moved blocks away in the storm actually found her wedding band in the relocated house.
Meal counts for the day: Breakfast 100; Lunch 200; Dinner 400; Mobile Unit 450
Totals for Monday: 1100 meals
Sorry I can't give more of an update from camp itself, we were gone from noon to 7pm. It sounded like things went pretty smoothly and there was live music and karaoke when we pulled back into the fire yard. There was a lot of organization and relocation with the tents this morning and moving into the new refrigeration unit. The volunteers here worked so hard to get our food prepped before we left and restock us this afternoon. We get a lot of compliments on the food and are trying to serve food that is nutritious (kale salad today which the volunteers were so excited about) and delicious (like Thai peanut sauce or meatball subs). Tomorrow we'll cover new ground and go to a few neighboring towns. The plan now is to go to Brooklyn on Wednesday; we have a few contacts and friends there and are trying to go to an area that needs our service.
The camp is intending to continue local deliveries after Circus and I return to Seattle, him probably later than me. Hopefully the tracks we've laid can help transition that into new hands smoothly. It's great being in the kitchen and helping here at the firehouse, but the best for me is meeting people in front of their houses, or what used to be their houses, hearing their stories, meeting their families, and giving them a hot meal and a cup of coffee. The donations keep coming in from far and wide and for that we are grateful. They will go to keeping our Mobile Unit running with food and fuel for as long as we are here and then to the continued efforts on the ground. The need won't be going away any time soon.
The people of Union Beach are trying to return to normal this week. Schools reopened today and many who could went back to work. Of course, many have lost their jobs or can't return to work. The work in the streets was a lot quieter, with not as many people coming in from neighboring towns or states. We did meet volunteer clean-up crews on the streets but it was a lot quieter than the weekend. Understandably, everybody has to return to their "normal lives." Our number of volunteers at the Union Firehouse Cafe were down today, too, but jobs becoming more organized and most people have specific committees. New faces jump in and do what needs to be done, working tirelessly to feed our masses.
Circus and I set to work getting the newly christened UHungry Cafe ready to go for our lunch and dinner deliveries. We thought we would serve less meals today but we still served a lot of meals! Another crew of incredibly energetic and positive volunteers blessed our truck with songs, laughter and hot food for all and we spent the whole day on the road, hitting some of our regular spots and regular customers, plus some new streets and faces. Today on the menu were a few pork roll sandwiches, meatball subs, and turkey quesadillas (which sold much better as "turkey wraps"), plus the usual beverage selection. Some blocks we went door to door and some we just grabbed people working in the streets.
We sold out of nearly everything on the lunch menu and had a "mid-air refueling" as Circus likes to call it. Heather B, a wonderful volunteer here, met us in the streets with a restock of coffee and the dinner menu cooked by the talented chefs at the Union Firehouse Grill. Homemade mac n' cheese, chicken tortellini, and turkey sandwiches were a hit. For dinner service we stop when we see a light on in a house and knock on the door. A lot of people are shy to take the food we offer but eventually most accept a plate. Many still have no cars and no houses. Some are still waiting for insurance appraisers to come and look at the damage before they can start ripping out flooded house parts. And some are just trying to sift through debris and salvage what they can. My favorite story of the day: A woman who's house moved blocks away in the storm actually found her wedding band in the relocated house.
Meal counts for the day: Breakfast 100; Lunch 200; Dinner 400; Mobile Unit 450
Totals for Monday: 1100 meals
Sorry I can't give more of an update from camp itself, we were gone from noon to 7pm. It sounded like things went pretty smoothly and there was live music and karaoke when we pulled back into the fire yard. There was a lot of organization and relocation with the tents this morning and moving into the new refrigeration unit. The volunteers here worked so hard to get our food prepped before we left and restock us this afternoon. We get a lot of compliments on the food and are trying to serve food that is nutritious (kale salad today which the volunteers were so excited about) and delicious (like Thai peanut sauce or meatball subs). Tomorrow we'll cover new ground and go to a few neighboring towns. The plan now is to go to Brooklyn on Wednesday; we have a few contacts and friends there and are trying to go to an area that needs our service.
The camp is intending to continue local deliveries after Circus and I return to Seattle, him probably later than me. Hopefully the tracks we've laid can help transition that into new hands smoothly. It's great being in the kitchen and helping here at the firehouse, but the best for me is meeting people in front of their houses, or what used to be their houses, hearing their stories, meeting their families, and giving them a hot meal and a cup of coffee. The donations keep coming in from far and wide and for that we are grateful. They will go to keeping our Mobile Unit running with food and fuel for as long as we are here and then to the continued efforts on the ground. The need won't be going away any time soon.
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