Pay it Forward
During National Barbecue Month
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
May is National Barbecue Month and the perfect time to celebrate the food, fun and friendships of America's favorite culinary pursuit. For those of us fortunate enough to make our living in this industry, it's also a great opportunity to "pay it forward" by supporting Operation BBQ Relief. This not-for-profit organization responds to natural disaster emergencies across the country by deploying an army of volunteer barbecuers to provide hot meals and human compassion to victims and first responders in disaster-stricken areas.
This month marks the two-year anniversary of Operation BBQ Relief (OBR), which was founded in response to the tornadoes that devastated Joplin, Missouri, in May of 2011. Since then, the group has responded to 14 natural disasters throughout the U.S., barbecuing and serving a total of over 300,000 meals to victims of tornadoes, floods, wildfires and hurricanes, including Hurricane Sandy, which destroyed much of coastal New Jersey and New York last October.
The group's latest relief effort was in West, Texas, where a fire and explosion in a fertilizer factory last month killed 14, injured nearly 200, and destroyed or damaged over 100 buildings in a town of 2,800 people. Operation BBQ Relief was one of the first assistance organizations on the scene and remained for eight days, serving approximately 16,000 meals.
Volunteer barbecuers fed displaced families, first responders and volunteers working to help the community of West. In addition, OBR was a main provider of food to the Red Cross and Salvation Army, whose volunteers helped distribute OBR's meals to those who needed them. When the Operation BBQ Relief team learned 75 children of families relocated to hotels were going to school without breakfast, the group rallied to cook breakfast for them and delivered it to their school.
But according to volunteer Bryan McLarty, the on-scene coordinator for OBR in West, "Our proudest moment was delivering food to the homes of the fallen firefighters for their private memorial services. BBQ is known as comfort food, and I would like to think we brought a little comfort to the families in their time of need."
If you plan to celebrate National Barbecue Month in your store this May, please consider supporting Operation Barbecue Relief and the good work they do. Here are some ways you can help, visit their Facebook page for other ideas:
- Make a donation - visit the OBR website for details.
- Host a cooking class this month and donate the proceeds to OBR. Or designate a special day or week in which a percentage of all barbecue-related sales during that period will be donated to OBR.
- Put a spare change collection jar at your checkout station with some info about Operation BBQ Relief and forward the proceeds at the end of the month.
- Help OBR "Stock their Trailer" by purchasing items such as paper towels, aluminum pans or foodservice clamshells from the organization's "Wish List" registry on the Amazon website. Go to the website, click on "Wish Lists" then type in Operation BBQ Relief.
- Help spread the word about this great organization to your customers through your own newsletters and email blasts. Put a link to the OBR website on your website, share OBR's Facebook posts on your store's or personal Facebook page, or Tweet about it.
- Register as a volunteer with OBR, so if a disaster strikes in your area, they can reach out for help.
Visit the Operation Barbecue Relief website.
