Yummy rice with added goodies, for 30 people. The Benedictine monastery in Tucson currently houses asylum seekers from Central American countries (although it will close in July and new housing must be found for the guests). The families have just been released from government detention and only stay for 1-2 days until transportation to their final destination can be arranged. The Monastery is run by a handful of Catholic Charities staff helped by hundreds of volunteers from the Tucson area (and occasionally from other states). Every day three nutritious hot meals are served and snacks provided to our guests. This is a challenge when no one knows exactly how many people will need feeding on any given day. Some days there have been 400 guests, others only 40, and the numbers fluctuate at very short notice. ICE bus coming at 1 pm today with 80 people and another with 40? No problem, we'll find food. It's a little like the parable of the loaves and fishes - we need food and it appears.
The people who work in shifts in the kitchens are volunteers and very few have ever worked in the food services industry. Retired cardiologists, college administrators, judges, teachers, and members of any number of other professions chop, stir and sweat to feed the hungry. Some of the food is made from scratch on site; the rest is brought in by volunteers from the community. Whatever is donated dictates the day's menu, which centers on eggs at breakfast and beans, rice, shredded meat and corn tortillas and a salad or some kind of cooked vegetable for other meals. And of course treats; everyone loves sweet treats. Meals in the government-run detention centers are sparse and frequently inedible (as I'm sure everyone knows from news reports this week) and our guests are grateful for whatever we give them, even the rice dish I made that managed to be gritty and mushy at the same time.
The people who work in shifts in the kitchens are volunteers and very few have ever worked in the food services industry. Retired cardiologists, college administrators, judges, teachers, and members of any number of other professions chop, stir and sweat to feed the hungry. Some of the food is made from scratch on site; the rest is brought in by volunteers from the community. Whatever is donated dictates the day's menu, which centers on eggs at breakfast and beans, rice, shredded meat and corn tortillas and a salad or some kind of cooked vegetable for other meals. And of course treats; everyone loves sweet treats. Meals in the government-run detention centers are sparse and frequently inedible (as I'm sure everyone knows from news reports this week) and our guests are grateful for whatever we give them, even the rice dish I made that managed to be gritty and mushy at the same time.
Beans and veggies for a crowd. After the travesty of that first rice dish (to be fair, I'd never cooked rice for 30 people before and I don't have a rice cooker) I experimented until I got it right. Now I'm an old hand at rice cooked in chicken broth with tomatoes, onions, corn, peas, and squash. No grit or mush any more. (That's what's pictured in the photo above.) Beans for 30 are in my repertoire now too. I was given a massive 25 lb sack of pinto beans and asked to do something magic with them. OK. I had peppers bought 3 for $1 at the swap meet so here you have it - pinto beans, black beans, onions and peppers with a huge jar of salsa stirred in for flavor.
Food is the way to someone's heart. That's a familiar saying. Volunteers in Tucson (and in many other places too) buy the ingredients and work in their own homes to create nutritious, delicious meals for the refugees.It's one of the ways we can show our guests that there are people in this country who welcome them.
As always the Alitas program is in need of donations to help its guests:
Disclaimer: The opinions in this blog are mine alone and do not represent an official Alitas account. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
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Food is the way to someone's heart. That's a familiar saying. Volunteers in Tucson (and in many other places too) buy the ingredients and work in their own homes to create nutritious, delicious meals for the refugees.It's one of the ways we can show our guests that there are people in this country who welcome them.
As always the Alitas program is in need of donations to help its guests:
- Aid to migrant women and children - how to donate.
- Official GoFundMe for the Alitas program.
Disclaimer: The opinions in this blog are mine alone and do not represent an official Alitas account. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
<< Previous
Beans anyone?
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