POWER IN PARTNERSHIP
Kitchen on Wheels Brings Hope
to Charley Victims
By Ken Hulme
The 700 Club
CBN.com –As
the days passed on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the fallout from Hurricane Charley
remained. Each day more people continued to come back to check on their homes.
Many considered how they would rebuild. Others wondered how they would survive.
"Now I know devastation," said Ed Anthony. "I thought Donna was bad, but
this is real devastation."
Ed's roof was partially destroyed by Charley, and then a thunderstorm hit.
"A thunderstorm went by and blew the other half off [of my roof]. I figure
it's just trash now. I am just going to get my belongings out and do the best
I can. Where will I go? I don't know yet," said Ed.
Like Ed, thousands of residents not only wondered where to go, but wondered
how to cover the basics - like food and water. That's where Operation Blessing
and The Salvation Army teamed up in these desperate times.
Earlier in the week Operation Blessing trucks delivered 120,000 pounds of
food to a distribution point in Tampa. The food was then sent out on mobile
canteens to feed emergency personnel, police officers, and firemen, and some
of Port Charlotte's hurting people. But the need was so great.
Kevin Smith, director of The Salvation Army's Emergency Disaster Services
for Florida, said, "We've been through disasters, we've been through hurricanes
and tropical storms, and we've never seen anything like this. People are without
electricity now, and the projection is that the electricity is going to be
out for weeks. People need something to eat. They can't cook, and they can't
prepare their food. They can't get their basic needs met, what we take for
granted every day."
So in addition to the 45 mini mobile canteens, The Salvation Army rolled
out what they call the "base camp", or the "Big Kitchen". When
we first arrived at the site, they were just setting it up and beginning to
prepare meals for some of the emergency workers stationed nearby.
That's when a wonderful symbol of the partnership between The Salvation Army
and Operation Blessing occurred -- when Operation Blessing's 53-foot refrigerator
truck literally linked up with The Salvation Army's kitchen.
The nerve center of the Big Kitchen is where food is prepared. It's equipped
with convection ovens, regular ovens, deep fryers, and more. Back behind a
vinyl curtain is the storage area for Operation Blessing's refrigerated unit,
complete with a freezer section. The beauty of it is being able to go back
and forth between the two trucks -- dishing up 20,000 meals a day!
Meals for people like Ed. "There's been people coming around with food,"
he said. "We've had soup and hot meals. There's a bunch of really fine people
in this world taking care of us."
And so, as the days passed, the relief efforts continued and a new partnership
maximized the impact on those touched by Charley's fury.
Kevin added, "I would like to take a moment and say thank-you to Operation
Blessing, who has helped us by bringing [food] that we can get to the people.
There are a lot of good things happening here, and we're just thankful for
the opportunity to partner with Operation Blessing."
Due to the recent threat of Hurricane Frances, Operation Blessing is once
again poised with food and supplies. Won't you partner with us, too? It's
heart wrenching to watch people who have lost everything, but together we
can make a tremendous impact to help relieve their suffering. Please
give generously today.
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