I've been asking a lot of questions in my blog posts so far. So this time, I’m going to make a statement -- The Salvation Army can cook. Indeed, cooking and food service is in our DNA. During the first and second world wars, Salvation Army "lassies" were well-known for serving coffee and doughnuts to Allied soldiers (in fact, the Army is often credited with popularizing the doughnut in the United States -- as troops came home with a new taste for these sweet treats).
Each year, The Salvation Army responds to hundreds of disasters nationwide with our fleet of mobile kitchens and canteens – with plenty of cooks serving hot food and drinks to survivors and response workers.
We feed thousands everyday at shelters, rehabilitation centers and other programs across the country. Last year alone, The Salvation Army served 69,053,263 meals to people in need.
Recently, chef Cecil Morris, a former Salvation Army client in Mobile, AL, was featured on the NBC Today Show. Cecil was a homeless drug user when he first came to The Salvation Army in the early 1990s. He gradually turned his life around – working his way up from a dishwasher in one of our shelter kitchens to his position today as culinary director for the Army in Mobile. He’s well-known locally for his award winning barbecued ribs, shrimp and other items. Cecil has an inspiring story – just like so many who come through our doors each and every day.
Another inspiring story is The Salvation Army’s Timothy Tucker, a classically-trained chef and former five-star restaurant cook who left the restaurant business to work at the Army’s Center of Hope in Louisville, KY. Timothy rejects the idea that shelter food needs to taste like “shelter food.” He uses fresh organic produce from an on-site garden to serve signature dishes to around 400 clients a day. Chef Tucker also teaches culinary skills to Center of Hope clients – many of whom are now employed in the food service industry.
These are just a few of the hundreds of dedicated chefs The Salvation Army employs nationwide. To read more about Cecil Morris, Timothy Tucker and other Salvation Army cooks check out this USA Today article.