Need Volunteers - Long Beach Long Island Hurricane Relief

[BBQchef33]

Folks, i know this is short notice, but as our intentions were to start next weekend, we discovered today that there is an immediate, somewhat urgent need for hot meals in Long Beach.

Long beach is one of the most devastated locations on Long Island. We have discovered that the first responders there have not had hot meals in nearly a week and there are between 3-4000 people still trying to clean up.

Working with WBAB and Hope for Warriors, we have secured a location to stage our pitmasters to prepare hot meals for the first responders and families that are down there.

Long Beach City Hall
1 West Chester Street
Long Beach NY

We contacted OBR tonight and they have jumped onboard. Awesome organization! First words from jeff were, WE ARE READY! OBR will be working with local meat markets to supply meats and supplies as well as RD and some local businesses. Anticipated menu will be butts, chickens, pork loins, sausage, burgers, dogs, soups and chili.

We need volunteers to prep, cook and wrap. We also need equipment, as well as fuel(wood).. We are working on getting as much transported to the site as possible, but may need folks to do pickups for us too.

Hope for Warriors will be down tomorrow to start cooking, BBQ Brethren will be down starting Saturday morning.

We need volunteers, if your available this weekend to help out in any way, please post here.. or call 631-24SMOKE.

This is a letter sent to local teams last night.

BBQ Teams, Judges and friends.

In the Spirit of The BBQ Brethren, we need your help. We need cooks, pitmasters and prep/serving help to man a disaster relief effort for Victims of Hurricane Sandy.

The BBQ Brethren is teaming up with WBAB, OBR, Help for The Warriors and the VFW to aid the Long Island Victims of Hurricane Sandy. Where many of us were simply inconvenienced with the loss of power, there are so many that have lost much more. Our fellow Long Islanders are sifting thru the remains of their homes, living in shelters and are unsure of their own futures. I know our BBQ Community, and we are not ones to idly stand by while this happens all around us. In the grand scheme of things we cannot do much, but we CAN help, with our talents and passion for BBQ, we can COOK! We can offer a hot meal to those that have been eating in shelters or out of cans in their cold homes.

We have secured locations in Lindenhurst and Long Beach to act as staging areas for our efforts. As BBQ cooks and competitors, we have the needed talent and ability to feed huge amounts of folks with little effort. We need pits and pitmasters that can donate some time, equipment and talent to feed those that are in trouble. An amazing effort was organized by Santa Frank and Ashton Saber from the Grill Scouts. Members from 3 of our teams, Grim Reaper Smokers, Blazing Butts and the Grill Scouts along with Chef Derrick Prince from Master Chef Season 2, spent 4 days in Babylon Village and prepared 12,000 meals! Yes, 12,000 meals!!!. Breakfasts, Lunches and Dinners for 4 days straight. An amazing feat, and they were met by an outpouring of support from the local community and business as they brought in a steady stream of donations to keep the effort moving. We are very proud of their efforts and hope to keep the momentum moving. We are trying to set up similar efforts in Both Lindenhurst and Long beach. If 3 teams can do that, imagine the impact we can have with 10 or 15. But we need your help.

This email is to gauge the level of support we may be able to achieve to determine if we can do one or both sites. Please check your schedules, see if you can help us. We would like to set up either this weekend or the following weekend. Friday Saturday and Sunday. We are working on getting the Meats and supplies donated, and what we need are people to prep, cook and wrap the meals for distribution. Please, if you can help us, respond to this email with a possible schedule or time frames. Let us know what you can do, even if its something offsite, or simply donate to the effort.

BBQ Brethren will be kicking off the effort with a $1000 to get us off the ground. If you wish to contribute, The Paypal.com account is helpingourlongisland@bbq-brethren.net. All proceeds will go to purchases for the relief effort. Any remaining will go directly to OBR.

These staging areas will also be accepting goods and supplies for victims in the affected areas for pickup by the victims, or for distribution to those locally by National Guard and emergency services. We need blankets, jackets, baby supplies, personal hygiene/care items and cleaning items. A drop off location has been established at 1930 Veterans highway, Suite 7, Islandia(just south of Dave and Busters).

I sincerely thank you for considering this, and hope, with your help, we can make this a successful relief effort to bring some warmth and help to those whose lives have been turned upside down. If there are any questions, please don't hesitate to email or call me at 631-404-0866.

Thank you all

Phil Rizzardi
Founder
The BBQ Brethren Inc.
1930 Veterans Highway
Islandia, NY 11749

[motoeric]

For those that haven't had an opportunity to participate in a cook like this, working under Santa and Snarky (Brethren members), some teams cooked in Babylon on Sunday to Tuesday and we pushed out over 10,000 meals for those in need.

It was incredibly fulfilling to be able to do something, regardless of scale, in the face of the suffering due to the storm.

I'll be there Saturday and I hope to see as many Brethren there as possible.

Eric

[MikeR]

I'm in. Trying to bring some of the same help I had with me last weekend. See you there.

[Bob S]

I'm in with Laura and Frank!

[bbqbull]

I cannot attend but donated again tonite to OBR.
God Bless you all.

[snarky]

I'll be there on Saturday, trying for Sunday. This is such an incredible project! I have two friends in Long Beach who have lost everything, they have both been staying there, reaching out and helping the community! When I told Lauren what the brethren arranged she just started to cry with relief! Thank you all!!

[bbqbull]

Give Lauren a hug from my wife and I

[BasicPatrick]

Phil...I have been communicating with multiple people involved with OBR seeking a cook site to work this weekend. Chris Hart & Jon Orr both have communications going on people wanting to volunteer.

I want to commit to a site asap. I can leave MA Sat AM and be on site Sat late afternoon and stay through monday afternoon. I can just drive a vehicle with or without some equipment, make pickups and provide labor etc. I could also pull the 6 x 10' x 7' interior trailer with the FEC & Traeger.

I am in a conference all day Friday but text or call me 781-771-8374

I have friends in the Lindenhurst area

[TailGateJoecom]

I'm down to help out. I can bring my two grills and cook up a ton of whatever burgers/dogs you have as long as you have space for my pickup/16ft trailer. I was in Staten Island doing that last weekend.

Just give me info on time and who if anyone i need to check in with when I arrive. I am available for this Saturday.

Here was my setup last week.

[R2Egg2Q]

I can't be there to help but I just contributed to the cause via PayPal to: helpingourlongisland@bbq-brethren.net

Good Luck Brethren!

[JD McGee]

Donation sent to OBR here as well...

[exhorns]

Phil, I am available tonight (Friday) and Sunday. Let me know where to be and anything I need to bring. I have a pickup so I can do some transporting if needed. 631-478-9573 Matt

[big brother smoke]

Anyone heard from Sean (Muzzlebrake)? I tried texting him for rub shipment. Phil let me know , if you want me to send it to your house for next week.

[Smokin J]

Me, Joe and Matt will be there all weekend, and we're bringing wood.

Joe also spoke with LI Firewood, and they are willing to donate some wood too. We just need to have it picked up from Jamesport. Does any one live near there that can pick it up on the way in to Long Beach tomorrow morning?

[rxcellentq]

I can help Saturday.

Phil, I sent you a PM