All In A Days Work

As Mass Care volunteers, Mike and Marion spent their day transporting lunch and dinner to flood victims and emergency workers. Each Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) was assigned a specific route that was followed each day. Food preparation was already underway when Mike and Marion reported to the Edmonton Baptist Church each morning at 7:30am. Most meals were prepared by the members of the church but sometimes Mike and Marion helped make sandwiches. He recalls assembly lines of sandwich fixings. One person got the bread out the next spread mustard, the next put the lunch meat on and someone else wrapped it. He estimates they made 2000 sandwiches in a couple hours. Maybe that's why many volunteers come back from an assignment vowing never to look at another peanut butter and jelly or ham sandwich again.

Aside from helping with the food preparation, it was the responsibility of the ERV driver to make sure the vehicle was stocked with the proper supplies. They would pack the truck with Cambros of hot food, sandwiches, snacks, drinks and sometimes fruit. (We will take a closer look at the ERV and mass care on a future post). Mike's route took about two hours to drive. They fed families in two trailer parks, families that had homes on higher ground but surrounded by water and also police and National Guard who were stationed at certain checkpoints.

Families who lived on higher ground were cut off from the roads and came in by boat to pick up their meals. The ERV would drive to a certain intersection and wait for the boats to come in. Mike said it was the strangest thing seeing boats come through the cornfields. There was one fellow they nicknamed the Oreo Man. The older gentleman loved Oreo cookies. Mike and Marian would hide away the extra cookies, saving them for the Oreo man. I wonder if the Oreo man ever thinks of the two Red Cross volunteers who brought a little bit of joy to his day?

After lunch the ERV was brought back to the church, cleaned and restocked for the evening run. The long day ended around 7:30pm but only after the Cambros were washed and the ERV cleaned. Most volunteers worked seven days on and one day off. It had to be exhausting but the reward of helping others must have been far greater than the discomfort.

If you would like to see more pictures that Mike took in St. Louis, Click here to view the web album. When you get to the Picasa web page, double click on the photo. This will open up another screen where you can start a slideshow or look at the individual pictures.

Below is a picture of Mike and Marion at High Point - Thomasville Chapter when it was located on English Road.