There are many ways to serve people in times of turmoil and Operation BBQ Relief proves it to be true by helping people as Hurricane Harvey continues to cause extreme flooding in Texas and parts of Louisiana.
Operation BBQ Relief began in 2011 in response to a tornado in Joplin Missouri and has continued to grow ever since.
“A group of barbecue competition level cooks and barbecue enthusiasts came together and responded to a need to feed storm survivors there and it has evolved ever since,” said James Bates, a member of the non-profit organization.
The organization is made up of some of the best barbecue grill masters in the U.S.
“We come together with our smokers, usually they are larger pits that come together, and you know these are guys that are winning Memphis in May, competing all over at national level barbecue events, so people will bring their smokers, but a lot of others will just bring themselves,” said Bates.
The barbecue enthusiasts have served as many as 313,000 meals in two weeks and plan to help feed as many people as they can during the Hurricane Harvey relief effort.
The group is currently cooking in Gulfport and will be heading out soon to serve the people in the Houston, Texas area.
“These guys go hard when they are competing but they care for each other and they care for their communities,” said Bates. “They are coming together in a big way to make this happen for people. When you are in the storm, surviving, cleaning, volunteering, being first responders, any meal is a good meal, but when you can get barbecue that is competition quality, we are talking pulled pork, ribs, brisket, chicken, lots of options that are coming out and it’s all wonderful. That makes a huge difference, I think, in letting people know that we care, and care in a special way.”
Bates said people can donate to help them with their relief effort and can also register to be a volunteer on their website at operationbbqrelief.org.
