There are times when the world around us changes at a blistering speed.
Thursday, March 12th was one of those days.
Thursday, 5 p.m.
The announcement of school closures Thursday evening was immediately followed by afterschool and other program cancellations. Thousands of meals that were prepared and ready to go out Friday morning would go uneaten.
Fortunately, Second Helpings had three things that would work to our advantage. For weeks we had been planning and talked through “what if” strategies with the Marion County Health Department. We also have a staff that hates the thought of wasting food and a cadre of dedicated and creative hunger relief partners.
Friday, 7 a.m.
After a flurry of emails and phone calls Thursday evening, we had a plan. Horizon House would take the extra sandwiches to serve to our homeless neighbors, and St. Vincent de Paul would include prepared meals as part of their pantry distribution. But take-home meals had never been part of Second Helpings’ hunger relief program; we’d never done this before.
Before dawn, our staff was out buying to-go containers and labels.
Throughout the morning, Second Helpings volunteers scooped casseroles and meatloaf with mashed potatoes into microwavable containers. Each three-pound package would provide a hearty meal for a family that evening. Our Kitchen Manager tested each dish in the break room microwave. How long would families need to reheat them to reach a proper temperature? Thermometer in hand, Chef Caroline developed the appropriate safe food handling instructions and each package was labeled and ready to go.
Finally, our transportation team, already flooded with food rescue calls from cancelled events, ferried the packaged meals to St. Vincent de Paul, where hungry families would find a nutritious meal, made from scratch, prepared and packaged with love by Second Helpings volunteers.
How are Second Helpings and our Hunger Relief partners adapting and responding to the challenges presented by COVID-19 in our community? Follow our blog to get the latest details.