Today Lori Ann Mason and I visited the World Central Kitchen distribution site at Saint James Episcopal Church in Hendersonville. Lori Ann interviewed these two members of Saint James, Ali Thomas and Bonnie Bryan who gave us a great overview of the thousands of meals they serve including these provided by Bears Smokehouse BBQ and vegetarian meals from Botiwalla by Chai Pani.
It was such a privilege and pleasure to talk with these church members and see all the great work that they are doing in the face of this terrible storm.
Perplexity AI offers this summary of the work they do:
World Central Kitchen (WCK), founded by Chef José Andrés in 2010, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing freshly prepared meals to communities impacted by disasters and humanitarian crises. Notable for its rapid response to natural disasters like Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and ongoing conflicts such as in Ukraine, WCK has served over 350 million meals globally. The organization focuses on culturally appropriate food and partners with local groups to enhance its efforts. Additionally, WCK runs culinary training programs to empower communities, exemplifying a proactive approach to humanitarian aid through food relief.
Sandy Schorr has decided to support World Central Kitchen:
Hey Sandy,
That was such an unexpected small world experience crossing paths with you and Chuck downtown during those first chaotic days after the hurricane but in the aftershock of the storm there was also a reassuring feeling of people coming together for a common cause. I had seen a story about the World Kitchen on 60 minutes coming to the aid of people in foreign nations but I never thought I’d see them serving just blocks away in our own precious little town.
All my best to you and Chuck and to a brighter future,
Pete
Dave - There are so many good organizations to give to but this and World Kitchen are the ones we’ve chosen. Can you possibly put this on Face Book?
Arboretum is opening in a few days for the formal garden part. Flat Rock park just opened. Rhod. Lake and Carl Sandburg still closed. So normalcy is returning in some parts. Grateful for that.
On pins and needles about the election however.
Sandy
Pete - Yes - that was very cool. For the others, I ran into Pete on the corner of Main and Allen. It was Tuesday morning after the storm and the roads had started opening and I was able to drop Chuck off at PT. I’ll remember that day partly because of all the joy I felt getting out of the house and back into the one simple routine of going to PT. There were about 6 young therapists at the PT studio and most of them were sitting on the floor doing a puzzle. Everyone was happy to see Chuck because he was one of the few clients there. He got definite points with them for showing up.
I had an hour free so I decided to walk Main Street and see if anything was open. There were people giving out coffee and snacks outside of mostly closed stores (not much flooding but no power on the west side of the street). One little pet boutique was open and giving away pet food. The Children’s museum had power and satellite internet and was inviting people in to charge their phones and use the internet. They had also set up a small distribution center for water and diapers and dry food supplies (and coffee for anyone who wandered by) On the street there were places to charge one’s phone- especially the South end of Main (maybe they have the outlets for the bands that play for the Rhythm and Blues concerts?) and Pete was there with his dog and lap top and phone making friends on the corner when I ran into him and we caught up on our lives,.
Anyway Pete - Looking forward to sharing a meal and/or cup of coffee with you soon. ☺️
Sandy
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