After the events of September 11th I felt the need to do something and was unable to assist in the massive effort our New York City chefs spearheaded. A movement called Feed The NYFD began.
Like almost everyone else in the New York metropolitan area, I lost friends, one of which was a firefighter in a house in Brooklyn. I am a caterer in Putnam County and "adopted" his firehouse, Squad 252 in Bushwick. I made my first trip in December of 2001. Since that time I have encouraged colleagues to also adopt a firehouse that they arte either connected to or that was directly effected by the events of that terrible day.
It was pointed out by a colleague that the firemen had "benefits." The concept of this "adoption" is not about money but about being comforted. To know that 2 years later and so on, we have not forgotten their sacrifice or their pain. This "adoption" can be as much or as little as the participants wish, but we all know food is comfort and these guys need that. A smiling face bringing in a load of wonderfully prepared foods for them to reheat when they are too tired or need a break from the grind can bring comfort and assurance that the public they serve has not forgotten.
Chefs and firehouses log on to "feedthenyfd.com" and register by answering a simple questionaire that determines the level of involvement they are interested in. The chef and firehouse are connected and they take it from there.
The intention of Feed the NYFD is to see this go on and on, that when the alliance between a particular chef/business becomes too much for the chef, this firehouse is then passed on to another chef who wants to be involved. The primary focus is first for the houses that were directly affected and from there to include all the houses. Should you be an interested chef from another area this could be replicated where you are. The firefighters in all of our communities never run away from but towards the trouble.
I need your help in publicizing this quest and assisting me in finding other chefs, catering companies and the like who would like to participate. Please let any associate you know who might be interested in this effort know of our website before we forget their bravery, their efforts on our behalf and their loss.
Chef2Chef News Desk