Hot grill, warm grace
Beef Council and Oklahoma Cattlemen serve meat at Homeless Alliance
Beef. It was what was for lunch on May 24 at the Homeless Alliance's WestTown day shelter thanks to the generosity of the Oklahoma Beef Council and the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association.
Members arrived at WestTown towing a mobile grill and 300 rib-eye steaks on ice. Sunny, mild weather made for a sparsely populated day shelter until
volunteers fired up the grill. That sent a signal to the neighborhood something special was on the menu for lunch and a crowd quickly materialized.
Clients of the Homeless Alliance were treated to the same steak sandwiches the groups are famous for at the annual Tulsa State Fair. They served those sandwiches with beans, coleslaw and two kinds of cobbler.
Volunteers had no problem handling it, having cut their teeth on large events like the Tulsa State Fair before. But this event had special meaning.
"It’s important to understand U.S. farmers and ranchers represent less than 2 percent of the U.S. population yet we feed the other 98 percent of Americans," said Heather Buckmaster, executive director of the Oklahoma Beef Council. "An event like this truly brings you face to face with the importance of what we do every day to
produce food for all Americans, including the most vulnerable among us."
Diners showed their appreciation early and often as they passed through the line, but the truth is always in the numbers. Lunch crowds usually range up to about 300, and we know they had that many that day because nary a rib-eye was left when the smoke cleared.
If there was any cobbler left, it was only because somebody hid it.
Service went off without a hitch despite the absence of kitchen manager Delbert Briggs, who recently suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon chasing one of his grandchildren. The injury is no laughing matter, it will put Briggs on the shelf for a month to six weeks. That means volunteers are more needed now than ever.
"We need more volunteers, especially to help with breakfast," said Kinsey Crocker, who manages communications for the Homeless Alliance. "With Delbert out, it puts a strain on our already thin staff. We are especially in need of volunteers to help serve
breakfast. This can be a tough shift for some people because it is 6 to 8 a.m. But the plus side is if you want to volunteer and have trouble fitting it into your work schedule, this shift would get you in and out in plenty of time to make it to work."
Volunteers would help serve breakfast through in cafeteria-style line, just like in school. This is exactly the kind of opportunity Turning the Table on Hunger hoped to raise awareness for, and as the Cattlemen's Association showed, it's an ideal way for groups to volunteer together. So by all means, go online to homelessalliance.org to sign up. You can also email volunteer@ homelessalliance.org.
I'm told Delbert's surgery was a success and he's now being cared for by friends and family — one grandchild in particular is working overtime to rewrite the narrative before Christmas.
Filling needs
Help has shown up in a big way already thanks to the Oklahoma Muslim Women for Humanity. Ramadan began midway through May and continues for 30 days, which is when practicing Muslims abstain from food and drinks during the daylight hours. So they decided to channel their hunger into helping those in the community who are always hungry and experience food insecurity by volunteering.
"We are grateful for their service," Crocker said.
These gracious ladies have started filling out the calendar during Delbert's absence, now it's time to fill it in.
As far as food items, Delbert's kitchen needs No. 10-size cans of vegetables, 10-gallon jugs of vegetable oil, heavy whipping cream, and shredded cheese.
From the recovery bed, Delbert says he's in need of Lexan storage tubs “body bags for the sheet pan racks.”
Crocker reminded me the Homeless Alliance also seeks donations beyond food.
"One of our big needs right now at the day shelter is socks," she said. "Most people think to donate socks in the winter when it is cold outside, but people need socks yearround. Especially people who are on their feet all day and walking is their primary mode of transportation."
Kinsey said during the rainy season the demand for socks is such that they could give out 100 pairs a dayif they had them.
"It is extremely uncomfortable to walk around in wet socks, and when you don’t have a place to sleep at night, you don’t have a sock drawer you can go to each morning to pull out a fresh pair. It would be a huge blessing if church groups, offices, or just friends hosting summer parties would consider hosting a sock drive."
Kinsey also let me know the need for volunteers isn't just because their fearless kitchen leader is down for a while.
"I feel like a broken record when I say we continue to serve a record numbers of people at the day shelter," she said. "Unfortunately, it's true. We typically average right around 300 people each day. On Wednesday, we saw 415 people. It’s concerning because we haven’t even come close to reaching the peak summer heat yet."
The Homeless Alliance website lists all the different times and ways you can volunteer. If you'd rather call, 415-8410.