Feeding those in need
A group from Holloway Restaurant Group recently gathered at the Homeless Alliance’s WestTown day shelter to serve lunch to about 300 clients.
On a sun-splashed morning in between gully-washers in April, Boulevard Steakhouse chef Michael Paske stepped into the kitchen at the Homeless Alliance’s West Town day shelter a little nervous.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Paske said. “I know the work they do here is really important, and I didn’t want to screw anything up.”
But he had an enthusiastic crew of volunteers, many of which came from Holloway Restaurant Group, parent company of Boulevard.
Kitchen manager Johnny Wofford, as usual, acted as their safety net along with assistant Delbert Briggs. On this day, Wofford and Briggs were able to relax a little because Paske’s gang operated like a well-oiled machine.
The sunny respite meant the line for lunch wasn’t as prodigious when the gate went up at 11:30 a.m., but as plates piled with meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, salad and bread pudding matriculated, demand increased.
Clients walked away from the day shelter satiated and smiling that day. Anyone who volunteered that day will attest to how fulfilling that feeling is. But it’s temporary. Temporary because while
volunteers also walk away satisfied for the day, they don’t have to come back. The clients do if they want to eat, groom, shower, stay connected to friends or simply find shelter from the rain.
When we can turn the WestTown day shelter into a monument acknowledging how the greatest country in the history of civilization solved homelessness, the work will be done.
Until then, it’s on us to take care of each other. To treat each other the way we’d hope to be treated if hard times found us. It starts with volunteering. When Holloway Restaurant Group committed to take part in Turning the Table on Hunger, they posted it to their Facebook page to see if any of their patrons would want to help.
“Eighty people responded, which is wonderful, but too many people for the kitchen at one time,” Homeless Alliance Director of Communications Kinsey Crocker said. “The good news is, people don’t have to wait for a Turning the Table on Hunger event to volunteer. They can volunteer any time, Monday through Friday for breakfast or lunch. All they have to do is go to the Homeless Alliance website.”
That website is Homeless Alliance.org. Once there, click on the “Get Involved” tab to find best how you can lend your time and energy.
Channeling hunger
The Oklahoma Muslim Women for Humanity [OMWH] recently committed to do their part to improve the community.
“Muslims abstain primarily from food and drinks during the daylight hours during the month of Ramadan,” Crocker said. “So they have decided they will channel this acute sense of hunger into helping those in the community who are always hungry and experience food insecurity.”
During Ramadan, which runs May 27 through June 24, the OMWH will assist in purchasing food for the entire month and serve lunch as volunteers throughout the month.
“We are very thankful for this support,” Crocker said.
Holloway Restaurant Group founder and president Peter Holloway, his son Geoffrey and catering director Julie Monroe were also among those helping ensure up to 300 local members of the city’s homeless population go a hot meal that day.
“This was an amazing experience,” Monroe said. “We will definitely be back.”
Watching his chef lead so many of his employees through the service, Holloway couldn’t see why they shouldn’t make this a regular occurrence.
“This really is a great, great thing,” Holloway said. “There’s nothing more important than pitching in for the community. This has to be the standard and we just build on it.”
Staying involved
Holloway isn’t the first to be inspired to continue the service after one trip to the Homeless Alliance.
A year ago, Good Egg Dining Group volunteered through TTOH but once was not enough.
“They contacted me again in March as they were lining out their giving projects for the year,” Crocker said. “Lauren Kerby, their team member specialist, said their chefs and floor volunteers absolutely loved every bit of the time spent on the event last year and wanted to do it again this year.”
Crocker said part of the goal for Turning the Table on Hunger wasto expose restaurants to the day shelter’s daily plight in the hope wisdom would be imparted, techniques shared and to connect us with industry to help find new sources of donations.
“Many of the restaurant groups have stay involved after their Turning the Table on Hunger experience,” Crocker said. “Some of the chefs have popped in on their days off to help and some have donated extra product.”
As for Good Egg, chef Ryan Lawson led another contingent to servesmoked chicken from Iron Star Urban BBQ and made barbecue baked beans, braised green beans, stew, cornbread, and fruit cup cobbler for clients.
Lawson and friends were so efficient they even had time to make extra food for meals for the week.
Crocker said Whole Foods continues to come once a month; they bring a meal and serve it to our guests.
Now all the kitchen needs is to fill the pantry.
Veggies, rice and potatoes are currently in short supply. US Roaster Corp recently donated 200 pounds of coffee, some cream and sugarwould complement that.
The Day Shelter always needs socks, and with summer approaching, the need for bottled water, bug spray and sunscreen will increase.
Need for support
Crocker said TTOH hasachieved some of its secondary goals. “I received a call from Sysco’s finance manager, Shane Gray,” Crocker said. “A kickball league was collecting items for our welcome home baskets that we provide to people we are housing, and he thought Sysco could help.”
Turns out Sysco had hundreds of meal kits about to expire, and he thought they would be good for people moving into housing.
“In addition to the meal kits that he wanted to donate, we ended up with more than $23,000 of donated items from meat and spices to disposable cups and cutlery.”
The push to support and smother homelessness with service and charity is increasing.
As long as there is a need for the Homeless Alliance there will be a need for support. The local hospitality community and the industries that support it have gradually steered more resources its way, but much more is needed.
Aside from manpower, the shelter needs services and expertise from practically all professions from medical to technical. And of course the charity can’t operate without revenue.
To make financial donations, go to the website listed earlier, click on the “Get Involved” tab and choose “Donate.”
Chef Kathryn Mathis of Pizzeria Gusto, Back Door BBQ and Big Truck Tacos is next to lead volunteers. If you’re a chef or restaurateur interested in taking part, email me at dcathey@oklahoman.com.