The Salvation Army received a request for meals from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Centerville, TN. An EOC is a central command that manages responses to disasters, providing coordination, communication, and allocation of resources to all responding agencies. From the EOC, meals would be distributed to line men, first responders, and other emergency management personnel involved in response to Winter Storm Fern.
While at the EOC, the center liaison told the Salvation Army team about a senior care facility nearby that had requested meals. Since the team had enough meals remaining to serve, they took the unexpected detour to the Tulip Woods Senior Apartments.
Residents were excited and grateful to receive hot meal and kept thanking the Salvation Army team for being there. One resident regaled the team with stories from her childhood as a Salvationist and her experiences with The Salvation Army.
Through it all, laughter and smiles shone, both from the residents and the team serving.
Wayne Normandan, one of the canteen crew, said, “It was such a blessing to be able to feed and love on these residents.”
To date, Salvation Army teams have served:
- 33,492hot meals
- 38,130drinks
- 32,843snacks
And provided the following supplies:
- 1,276 comfort/hygiene kits
- 1,499 food boxes
- 2,301 winter clothes
