Hurricane Ian first touched down in Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 28 as a Category 4 Hurricane with sustained winds of 155mph, just two miles per hour short of reaching Category 5 status. As of Oct. 2, Florida Power and Light had restored power to 1.6 million customers but they estimated it will take another week to restore power to 95% of their customers who faced severe damage! I have come to realize that we probably all know someone who has been impacted by this horrendous event. Watching graphic television and media coverage updates, we can only imagine just how awful it must be having to cope in this situation.  

There are many people and organizations that have rushed to offer aid and support to the Florida community. One particular group that I have been following is Operation BBQ Relief. I first read about them after tornadoes hit Mayfield, Ky. around the Christmas holidays last year. Their stated goal is to feed as many people as possible after natural disasters and events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. They began cooking meals after a tornado hit Joplin, Mo. in 2011 and they were able to provide over 120,000 meals over the course of 13 days!  

Since then, they have served over 9 million meals throughout the U.S. and internationally. On Friday, just two days after Hurricane Ian made landfall, Operation BBQ Relief was setting up camp in Port Charlotte, Fla. They brought in trailers, tents, food supplies, refrigeration trucks, generators and RV campers for volunteers. By Sunday morning, over 2,000 people were eagerly waiting in line to receive their first hot meal in days.  

CEO of Operation BBQ Relief Stan Hays said that they plan to increase production every day until they serve 60,0000 meals. “I might get tired of barbecue every once in a while, but I never get tired of handing someone a meal and seeing their face light up,” he said.  

If you would like to support their efforts to meet their goal and help them expand their operations, they are in need of donations. If you or someone you know is able to volunteer, they are looking for people to help out at their current headquarters in Port Charlotte, Florida. You can follow the teams progress on Instagram @opbbqrelief and Operation BBQ Relief on Facebook. You can donate using this link:  https://volunteers.operationbbqrelief.org/donations/donate-now