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RE: RESTAURANT HELP

Tracey Evers, executive director of the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association, is rallying Dallas restaurants around hurricane rescue relief. Please get involved.

Hello all,
A quick update on some relief efforts and immediate needs within the community.
• Feeding at shelters: Several restaurants have said they will take meals to shelters or other areas where people need to be fed. We are going to make the association available to organizations and shelters as a clearinghouse to coordinate those times and places when necessary. We will give restaurants at least 48 hours notice before we ask them to deliver meals or prepare them to be picked up. If you would be available to donate meals (usually 250-300 people at a time) please let me know and we will include you on our list. Baine Brooks is currently assessing the situation and upcoming needs for feeding the refugees at the various shelters. He is very grateful for all the help he has received so far, but wants everyone to keep an eye on their emails over the next couple of days, as we may need to facilitate some “intense feeding” on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. If a few restaurants could come feed 200-250 people, we could get this taken care of.
• Assisting the North Texas Food Bank:
o The North Texas Food Bank is going to be hit the hardest with demands for food – from pantries, shelters, schools – as more and more people come into the city and find themselves staying here for the next several months.
* The following is what the NTFB needs immediately:
• Prepared frozen meals (ie:lasagna, casseroles)
• Non-perishable, ready to eat, single serving meals and snacks (lunchables, cereal bars, pudding/fruit cups, etc.)
• Bottled drinking water
• Toiletries
• Cleaning products (bleaching products)
• Paper goods (baby diapers, paper cups & plates)
• Feminine products
§ If we could get a list of restaurants to participate in a food drive to gather these particular products, that would be ideal. We can work with the Food Bank to facilitate this. Several area restaurants are currently acting as drop-off points for surrounding cities.
§ We are also in talks with the Food Bank to open up a second shift in their Community Kitchen. This would immediately produce an extra 8000 meals per week to be distributed to the organizations providing assistance to Hurricane victims. They are currently getting through the logistics, but if it is possible, we will need volunteers from the GDRA to go to the Food Bank and help prepare these meals. If you or anyone you know is available for this, please let me know.
If you are able to pre-prepare and freeze meals for the Food Bank to distribute immediately to hurricane victims in shelters all over the city, here is the contact: Lawrence Haskew, 214-330-1396 x 134, or Lawrence@ntfb.org He will work with you on delivery or pick up of these items.
• Raising Money
o We are working on some ideas to assist the restaurant community in raising money for the relief efforts. Ideas such as donating a portion of sales during one week or the month of September are being discussed, as is a possible on-line auction that would be produced by a local radio station holding company. We will keep you posted – please feel free to communicate with us with any additional thoughts or ideas.
• Employment:
o As you can imagine, there are going to be many people looking for work. Although we don’t have a formal job bank on our website (yet), please feel free to send me any positions that you could fill and we will get that out to the appropriate organizations.

Thanks for all of your support – the restaurant community always rallies in times like this – it is very uplifting to be a part of such a wonderful group of individuals. Please forward this email to anyone you know who is available to help.

Nancy Nichols · September 1, 2005 02:36 PM