Black Diamond grandmas bring Thanksgiving to hurricane-battered New York
Nov 19, 2012, 7:14 AM | Updated: 8:17 am
Residents of storm ravaged Rockaway Beach, NY line up for supplies following Hurricane Sandy. A group of Black Diamond grandmas is heading there this week to feed the victims. (AP image)
(AP image)
Ginger Passarelli is gearing up to feed a lot of people this holiday week. But the Black Diamond grandma doesn’t know any of them. She’s part of a group of local women heading to New York Monday to cook and distribute hot meals to the victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Passarelli, Sheila Lein, Jannelle Noller, and Diana Boxrz-Holt are members of the “Soup Ladies,” a volunteer group that travels to emergencies and disaster zones to feed victims and first responders.
“Since we have been to many disasters, we are good at setting up emergency kitchens and cooking wonderful food. Good food is love and these folks I’m sure need that,” she says.
The Soup Ladies mission is warming the world “one bowl at a time.” They’ll set up shop in a church building in Rockaway Beach, just one of a number of communities devastated by the storm, where thousands are still without power.
“It’s all about families but sometimes family isn’t blood. My family understands there’s people that need to be fed and they’re OK with it,” Passarelli says of spending the holiday 3,000 miles from home.
Passarelli says she has been told conditions are still rough and it could be a long time before power is restored to the area, making conditions brutal for the survivors of the superstorm.
“When I get to feed people at a disaster you look into their eyes and you can see into their hearts. You can hand them something good to eat and give them a hug and give them some hope,” says Passarelli.
You can follow the group’s effort or make a donation by to the Soup Ladies on their Facebook page.
KIRO Radio’s Frank Shiers contributed to this report
