Partner content: Stories of dining during a disaster
Hurricane Helene was and continues to be a traumatic event for our region, but even within the worst of it, there are stories of resilience and ingenuity in ways that many had to deal with making or getting meals while having no power or water for days.
Here are a few of those accounts:
“…When our electricity went out, we began sharing resources. I had the gas grill and the outside deck space for a number of us to eat together. Every evening by candlelight, everybody would come over with what they had and we laughed and cooked and ate together in community…” – Dawn W.
“…I used part of a chocolate protein shake for a creamer…Peanut butter and jelly I seldom eat was a staple…” – Lynn B.
“I had “Jenn’s Central Kitchen”, cooking for neighbors for two weeks straight….the refrigerator in the RV kept food cold. I had to get very creative and never made the same meal twice! But folks ate well and the communal dining was very therapeutic…” – Jenn N.
“I started a distribution center in my community. I learned one of the most important things that provides people with comfort is coffee….during the first days as peoples freezers were defrosting someone brought a brand new gallon of melting vanilla ice cream…ice cream makes a wonderful creamer for coffee!” – Kristen H.
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“…The entire (apartment) complex came together, grilling out and sharing the food that was dying in their fridges and freezers…there’d be hot food and a campfire and new friends with beer…It was magical.” – Jonathan A.
Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN
Ingles Markets Corporate Dietitian
facebook.com/LeahMcgrathDietitian
800-334-4936
