USA: Kitchens providing essential aid to hurricane victims

Report
from Operation Blessing
Published on 09 Sep 2005
Amid the ongoing emergency situation following Hurricane Katrina, mobile kitchens along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, stocked with food and supplies from Operation Blessing, are helping meet the most essential needs of disaster victims.

At the Church of God in Gulfport, MS., hot meals are being prepared and served by volunteers three times every day providing both nourishment and comfort for local residents.

OBI supplies food and water by the truckload for this vital operation that serves up to 10,000 meals a day. A staff of volunteers from across the nation has assembled in what was once the church's parking lot, transforming it into a massive tent-covered kitchen, dining and distribution area.

In nearby Long Beach, Southern Baptist disaster relief teams are cooking hot meals twice a day and loading up The Salvation Army canteens for mobile distribution into hard-hit areas. Meals are also being distributed to thousands of local residents on site, along with water and other supplies.

Operation Blessing trucks are delivering relief goods daily to this central location in the heart of the area that bore the brunt of Katrina's fury.

Additionally, OBI's own mobile kitchen has made its maiden voyage to Slidell, La., where it's set to begin preparing thousands of meals daily for local hurricane victims. In this overlooked disaster-stricken area, feeding and relief activities were urgently needed, and Operation Blessing is answering this Louisiana town's dire need for help.