From Jacksonville With Love
Past Projects
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
September 7, 2005: 15 days after Hurricane Katrina hit -- the only private relief brought to Jefferson Parish
Leading the convoy from Neptune Beach, Florida to Louisiana was a 53-foot tractor trailer filled with 46,000 pounds of food and clothing that had been collected by volunteers in just 2 days, followed by a 12 foot trailer carrying a mobile freezer towed by Pastor Steve McCoy of Beaches Chapel Church, a mobile kitchen owned by Nancy Reisemeyer, a local beaches caterer, along with several volunteers carrying supplies in their personal vehicles.
Twenty-five hours of driving back roads later the group arrived in Jefferson Parish, where they were greeted by national guardsmen carrying M-16 rifles. After waiting two hours for an escort that would lead the convoy to the sheriff's office, the group decided to find it themselves. Pastor Steve had been to the sheriff's office many times in the past, but twisted street signs made navigating next to impossible.
The sun rose on a beautiful but eerily quiet morning. FJWL volunteer Darrell Tyrrell reported that the sheriff's office had been located. He was at a loss to describe his experience of the pervasive, overwhelming smell of death and decay hanging in the air.
Sheriff Henry Lee arrived on site to begin the process of distributing the supplies to residents. He was concerned that, because the citizens had a general distrust of the police force, they might not want to receive assistance from a group working in concert with the police. Fortunately for everyone, the needs of the community overrode any concerns about the police.
The truck was unloaded. People from the neighborhood arrived on foot and on bicycle to load as many items as they could carry. One little boy (see photo) kept darting glances into a particular box. When asked if he saw something he wanted, he pulled out a jar of baby food! Given the ok to take whatever he wanted, he ran off with baby food in hand.
As FJWL volunteer Darrell Tyrrell gathered wood for the smoker, he realized that there were no proper tools for cutting wood, so he improvised with a chisel and saw. Nancy and two other volunteers from Beaches Chapel, Kelly Moore and Darrell Everest, began setting up the kitchen and preparing food. Ham, mashed potatoes, biscuits, baked beans and dessert were on the menu, the first hot meal that most families had eaten in two weeks. Other than military meals handed out by the National Guard, the Parish had received no aid before From Jacksonville With Love arrived. As the day progressed, the team members served food, distributed supplies and talked with the hurricane victims. What started as a relief effort to bring food and water ended up being something much bigger. The hurricane victims shared their unique experiences, the FJWL team shared their time and goodwill, and everyone came away feeling better nourished, both in body and spirit.
Lafayette, Louisiana
September 12, 2005: Tricycle - A story from the heart
Neale Williams, a volunteer from FJWL drove one of our first 26-foot box trucks into Lafayette, Louisiana. After unloading the trucks the drivers went into the shelters to meet the people they were helping. A family with a young daughter was being interviewed by the media. Their overwhelming outpour of emotion caught the drivers by surprise. They walked over to see what was happening. The family shared with the drivers that their daughter was visibly upset over the loss of her tricycle during the hurricane. The only thing she wanted was to have her tricycle. As tears came down their faces the drivers realized that there was one item left in the front seat of their truck. Upon departing Jacksonville, the truck was filled to the brim. They loaded a tricycle with the driver to make sure that it was able to be taken on the trip. The drivers ran to the truck and pulled out the tricycle. They ran back into the shelter and handed the little girl the bike. Neale said "She hopped on the bike and peddled as fast as she could around the shelter!" "Seeing the smile on her face made the entire trip worth all the effort."
October 13, 2005: Cajun Dome
We handed out toys and comfort cards at the Cajun Dome, which served as a shelter for hurricane evacuees. Nearly 500 children received toys. Some of the favorites were various sports balls, bats, dolls, coloring books and crayons, puzzles, and Hot Wheels. “It was really rewarding to see their faces, knowing that receiving a new toy brightened up their day,” says Darrell Tyrrell, a FJWL volunteer. “Preparing for the trip and coordinating logistics is hard work. The drive is long, but the payoff is great! It makes all that we do, worth it in the end,” says Neale Williams, another volunteer.
Opelousas, Louisiana
September 16, 2005: The first wave
Chef Frank Phinzy, Tom Woods and Luke Borloz headed from Jacksonville to Opelousas at the request of Louisiana Senator Cravins. In tow were a mobile kitchen and refrigerated truck with fresh food set up to prepare 300 meals per day.
Three small hotels and three shelters in the area were full of displaced Katrina
survivors. Most families had not eaten hot meals in weeks and were anxiously
awaiting our arrival.
We took along a film crew from Florida State University to document the activities
of the volunteers and to gather the stories behind the faces of these hurricane
victims.
Items that were brought along from our donation sites in Neptune Beach and
Ponte Vedra, Florida for distribution in Opelousas included baby supplies,
formula, toiletries, and ready-to-eat food items. We ended up preparing about
700 meals a day and stayed for a week.
September 19, 2005: Michael and Mark Smith join the relief crew on-site
At 11:00 pm another convoy embarked on a trip to Louisiana, which included both co-founders, Michael and Mark Smith. They departed with a tractor-trailer of donated goods driven by a volunteer from Palatka. “We were in desperate need of a qualified driver to take the tractor trailer on this trip. We made a few phone calls late in the afternoon on the day of our departure, which led us to Bill. If it had not have been for his willingness to drop all of his plans for the week, we would have not been able to take the 53-foot trailer on this trip.” said Michael.
The group traveled to Opelousas to meet up with the group that left Jacksonville three days earlier. “We wanted to make the most impact on this trip, so we pulled out all the stops and sent all we had. We wanted to know how our hard work and effort was affecting the lives of those struck by Hurricane Katrina, so Mark and I decided to make the journey and see for ourselves,” said Michael. We were met with such overwhelming appreciation. All we wanted to do was to serve a hot meal and to be of help and show them we care, but we walked away with so much more. We are a small grassroots group, aiming at helping the victims, but we never anticipated being the ones whose lives were touched. We made friends with so many people day after day. At dinner, we decided to provide music and make each night like a small party, something to alleviate the devastation they faced,” said Michael.
“Some victims commented about how nice it was just to have someone to talk to.” “All we wanted to do is to help. Who knew that a decent conversation, something so effortless, would be exactly what some people needed?” said volunteer Luke Borloz. “This experience has changed me forever. It has caused me to look at people in a different light. Anyone who comes to this area and helps can’t walk away without being changed. It’s impossible! I’d come back in a heartbeat.”
October 13, 2005
We departed on another four day trip to Opelousas. This itinerary included handing out comfort cards and toys as well as cooking meals. We met with Senator Cravins and assistants Eva Noel and Reggie Tatum. Our team on this trip included the documentary students from Florida State University and Tom Woods and son, owners of Foodnet Marketing.
We served two meals to the citizens remaining at the local shelters and the surrounding hotels. In addition, submarine sandwiches, which had been donated by Jacksonville, FL-area Subway restaurants, were served for lunch the four days we were there. Chef Frank prepared a special meal for the senator’s staff to honor them for their dedication in meeting the needs of their constituents.
November 17, 2005
FJWL volunteers Darrell Tyrell, Luke Borloz and Chef Frank Phinizy traveled the 13 hour trip from Jacksonville to Opelousas in a company van filled with holiday feast items. Signs of rebuilding and hope were evident as we drove through Mississippi. Four or five billboards in a row talked about spirit, growth, and unity.
We were able to use the commercial kitchen of the Holy Ghost Catholic School, a historic building that had been a primary staging area for New Orleans evacuees. On November 19 we cooked all night, anticipating 750 residents for our Thanksgiving dinner the following afternoon. The traditional Thanksgiving menu included turkey with dressing, baked ham, Cajun rice, green bean casserole, baked yams, giblet gravy, biscuits with brown sugar butter, and peach cobbler. Senator Cravins and his son, Congressman Cravins, were the guests of honor at the two-hour feast.
New Orleans – Hurricane Rita
September 23, 2005: Delivering aid to the “war zone”
At the request of the New Orleans chief of police, From Jacksonville With Love delivered food, water, clothing, and other needed supplies to the police officers of New Orleans. Despite the devastation surrounding the police station, Mark Smith and the other volunteers found real inspiration in the can-do attitudes of local people left behind in the city. One man had set up ad hoc “radio station” RADIO MARIGNY, to keep the streets filled with music. He was playing music of all kinds from his personal collection. Other people spoke of searching for stray animals and sticking together. Hurricane Rita arrival was imminent as the FJWL crew packed up to return to Opelousas.
Key West, Florida
October 27, 2005: Aiding relief workers in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma
A caravan consisting of a 24-foot trailer of food and supplies, a mobile kitchen, and volunteers Traci Mastrocinque, Chef Frank Phinizy, and Darrell Terrell headed out from Jacksonville Beach to Key West to provide aid to the police department and city officials who were working to restore the area in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma. The group took enough food to feed up to 500 people breakfast and dinner for four days. We ended up cooking for a week.
December 24, 2005: Helping to make Christmas a little merrier
From Jacksonville With Love collected toys for three weeks. In addition, Sterling Joyce from the Casa Marina Hotel held his annual, festive event at the Atlantic Theatre and collected at least 150 new toys for our drive. The Alterman & Johnson Chiropractic Center, located in Jacksonville Beach, also collected at least 100 wrapped toys, each designated for a particular age group and gender. They had even provided a large, gift-wrapped box to hold all the toys (just like Santa would). FJWL corporate funding provided for the purchase of an additional 175 toys so we could ensure that every child in Key West would receive at least one nice toy. We filled up the 12-foot trailer and departed for the southern-most point in the United States.
When we arrived at the City of Key West Municipal Building, Mayor McPherson, Councilmen Clayton Lopez and Bill Verge were there to meet us. The toys were unloaded into the police ready room where they were divided into sections for all age groups. That night, police officers delivered the goods to where they were needed most, to the forgotten areas of Key West where there were no holiday lights or Christmas trees to brighten the season.
Key West Mayor Gives Keys to the City to From Jacksonville With Love
At the request of Mayor Morgan McPherson, the directors of From Jacksonville With Love were invited to a ceremony honoring them with the keys to the city. The directors Mark Smith, Michael Smith, Traci Mastricinque and Chef Frank Phinizy were guests of honor at the famous Bistro 245 for a lovely luncheon. The Mayor thanked us for the help we extended to the city after Hurricane Wilma and also for our toy drive we held at Christmas. Other guests who attended were volunteers Marion Phelan, Chris Gregory and Jan and Jason Decker.
Waveland, Mississippi
January 11, 2006: A town that aid had missed; first impressions
We arrived in Kiln, Mississippi late on the night of January 10. Even in the darkness you could tell that something terrible had happened in this area. Kiln is about 6 miles inland from Waveland. This part of Mississippi had been ground zero for Hurricane Katrina.
The house where we stayed was next to one that, amazingly, had been immersed in 22 feet of water despite being 6 miles inland. We met some locals and two workers from New Orleans and listened to them tell their stories of the past 4 months. Their experience has been that time sort of stopped for them; things were just not getting done at a very quick pace. We sat around a fire made from the local debris of nearby houses and prepared for the morning.
We were not prepared for what we saw as we drove into Waveland. The city was wiped out. Almost every building had been damaged or destroyed. The new city hall was a combination of small portable buildings; they looked very neat and gravel lined. It was obvious that the townspeople were doing the best they could with what they had.
We met with Mayor Longo, Kathy Pinn, and her staff, and their optimistic attitudes were inspirational. Kathy was emblematic of the residents of Waveland. She had lost her home and business but still possessed her pride and the faith that she would endure.
March 19, 2006: Lending a helping hand
Our 24-foot truck, filled to the brim with donations from the Jacksonville community, headed to the Katrina-battered Mississippi town of Waveland. Along with the truck, we also brought the mobile kitchen to prepare dinner for all of the city workers.
Our good friend Jan Huffman and her daughter Jessica met us in Biloxi, Mississippi to volunteer to help with the FJWL mobile kitchen. (Jan is the manager of the Best Western where we set up food operations in Opelousas, Louisiana after Katrina.) The truck was unloaded the next day and we served over 250 meals, plenty of to-go boxes, and in turn, saw many happy faces.
April 5, 2006: Medical equipment for Waveland and FJWL gets a helping hand
We had been planning our medical center drive for over a month. Thanks to the kind donation from the Cooksey family and Dr. Thomas Edwards of Jacksonville, we were able to coordinate the donation of the late Dr. Charles Cooksey’s medical equipment, which included 5 examining rooms, as well as office equipment and other assorted medical supplies. FJWL volunteers took on the challenging task of dismantling the equipment and loading it onto the FJWL 24-foot truck.
On the way to Waveland our truck’s alternator went out and we had a difficult time locating a replacement. We stopped by Hammett’s Auto Electric of Biloxi, and they performed a diagnostic and replaced the alternator. The batteries also needed to be charged, so they told us to go have some lunch and come back in two hours. When we returned and asked for the bill, Buddy and Marilyn Hammett said, “There isn’t a bill and we hope you have a safe trip back. If it wasn’t for people like you and your organization, all of us in this part of Mississippi would be in very bad shape.” The unexpected generosity of Buddy and Marilyn Hammett (and their son-in-law, Bradley Raye) of Hammett’s Auto Electric in Biloxi filled our hearts with joy.
December 16, 2006: Bringing some Christmas cheer to Waveland with Team Gaia
After conducting a toy drive and being a recipient of the bounty from Sterling Joyce’s Annual Birthday Bash and Toy Drive, we joined forces with Team Gaia to help out some children in need. We traveled by RV and arrived on December 16. On that day the groups delivered the donated toys to foster children in Hancock County, Mississippi. Normally, the area’s police and fire departments would have bought the toys, but as their resources and funds were considerably strained from the disaster, relief organizations like FJWL stepped up to help bring some joy to the children. The chief of police played Santa Claus, and the whole group enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared by Chef Frank Phinizy.
December 2006: AT&T Merlin Telephone System donated to city
Co-founder Michael Smith donated a telephone system after learning that the city’s infrastructure (mayor’s office, police and fire stations) still lacked a coordinated phone system more than a year after the hurricanes hit.