Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Texas throughout last week. Thousands lost their homes, anywhere between 40-70 lost their lives. The damage is still being sorted through, people are still trying to locate their families. There is no question that Hurricane Harvey brought bad times to good people, but something that might put some hope back into your heart is all of the support that came in from around the country. My Dad volunteered to cook food with his new smoker for a week and he graciously answered some questions for us below:
What compelled you to go help in Texas?
J: “I have deployed with Operation BBQ Relief before- once in 2015 (South Carolina) and in 2016 after Matthew hit in Fayetteville, NC. I have seen firsthand the destruction and despair Hurricanes can cause, and have handed plates of food to those who desperately needed it. A few months ago, I sold all my BBQ equipment, and had a custom BBQ rig built to use locally. When I saw the storm hit Texas, I could not let this BBQ rig sit at home and not be put to good use.”
Operation BBQ Relief (OBR) is a company that has been helping bring hot food to victims of crises since 2011. Their teams have been deployed for over 200 days in 21 states after 34 disasters according to their website ( https://operationbbqrelief.org/ )
What was the most memorable conversation you had with the people there?
J: “This OBR deployment was different. Usually, the victims are able to come to us, but since the victims were trapped by water we had to truck, boat, and helicopter our food to them. The only flood victim I spoke to was actually an OBR volunteer, who was also a Pitmaster from Houston. His house was flooded, but he positioned his family in a shelter and came back to cook. That is a conversation I will never forget, and also one I gained inspiration from.”
How bad was the damage there?
J: “I personally never went into the flooded areas, but we all know it was bad when we were preparing 50,000 meals a day to send into the flood zones. In 9 days, we served over 371,000 plates of food.”
If you have any interest in helping Operation BBQ Relief prepare for Irma, the links are below!
To donate:
https://operationbbqrelief.org/apis/volunteer/donation
To volunteer:
https://operationbbqrelief.org/apis/volunteer
Texas, Florida, everywhere that has been struck by a natural disaster lately, we are with you. Stay strong and stay safe.