April 21, 2020 Moonshine Minutes
Transcript
Episode 16: April 21 Moonshine Minutes on server
Good morning everyone. I’m Molly Wilcox, reporter and office manager at Moonshine Ink, here to deliver today’s Moonshine Minutes.
Left and right, we’re hearing horror stories about business tanking for the restaurant industry in Tahoe/Truckee during the COVID-19 pandemic, as we approach week five of government-mandated self isolation. Yet several bright local business minds, those behind central Truckee’s The Station, are taking this time away from thinking about profits and shifting their focus to help those in need. They spearheaded the effort, but since then a seed of an idea to feed the community has grown with many business partners into a large-scale operation.
Sierra Relief Kitchen is one of the latest North Tahoe community efforts to lend a helping hand in providing food during the coronavirus pandemic. The bulk kitchen is serving meals to folks in need for free out of The Station, a Truckee-based eatery, and will be open every Thursday and Saturday for the foreseeable future.
Entrepreneurial husband and wife team Danny McCabe and Rachel Graf are the brains behind the operation.
McCabe, owner of The Station, told Moonshine: quote “We were isolating at home, and my wife, Rachel, was like, ‘Hey, I think we need to get out there and start cooking for people in need. The situation is getting worse and we have the capability and we certainly have the time, so let’s do it.’” end quote
On day one, April 16, Sierra Relief Kitchen served about 120 meals. On April 18, this past Saturday, 220 meals were served. This coming Thursday, the team is expecting to prepare at least 300 meals. The kitchen said they have been serving many meals to members of the Mexican community, low-income demographics, and families experiencing job loss. But McCabe said whoever is in need of a meal is welcome to come: quote “It’s open to anybody — anybody who’s struggling to pay their bills or anyone who is hungry. Don’t be shy, we’re all in this together.” end quote
Staff at Squaw Valley’s The Auld Dubliner and Tremigo are also donating time, food, and kitchens for meal prep.
Graf, who’s part-owner of Tremigo and manager of the Dubliner, said: quote “I’ve always loved community outreach … We always try to incorporate community events into the restaurants. I thought, we’ve got access to these awesome kitchens, and there are so many people in the restaurant industry that want to help out, so why not use our resources and alleviate some of the pressure that can be taken off some of the existing hunger relief programs?” end quote
In less than two weeks’ time, Sierra Relief Kitchen has raised over $15,000 to help feed the community. After having initially set a goal of $25,000, they have upped their plans to meet the area’s needs by aiming to raise something in the six-figures. Money donated through the GoFundMe campaign will cover supplies to continue making the meals. Currently, all work is being done on a volunteer basis, but the organization will need funds to pay employees in the future if the effort is to be sustainable.
Said Graf: quote “Danny and I are both workers, we’re not really used to just sitting around. We need to keep our brains going and we just wanted to do something good for our community, so it’s been really awesome to get so much support and positive feedback from the community.” end quote
For more information, head to sierrareliefkitchen.com.
I hope that feel-good story brightens your day a bit. Until tomorrow, stay isolated, stay safe, and, as always, look for your moments of zen.
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