Postcard: Helping out with Sandy Relief at Gerritsen Beach

Gerritsen Beach, in Brooklyn, was hard hit by Hurricane Sandy: a month after the storm, hundreds of the community's 2,100 households are still without power or uninhabitable. Many more lack heat and hot water. So we figured they would appreciate a good, hot, fresh meal. Yesterday, using ingredients from our friends at Whole Foods Market, Kellie Evans, Judy Haubert, and the rest of the Saveur kitchen staff cooked up lots of delicious, hearty food, and we delivered it to the disaster relief center set up by the Gerritsen Volunteer Fire Department: 40 pounds each of jerk chicken and stewed beans, 30 pounds of rice and pea pilaf, 15 pounds each of mixed vegetables and Greek pasta salad, 10 pounds of warm turkey salad, plus crisp green salad, dinner rolls, 10 pounds of berry and peach cobbler, assorted pies and other sweets from Herb n Peach, and bags and bags of fresh apples from our pals at Melissa's. As the disaster center began to fill up with storm-affected folks seeking dinner, there were hugs all around between Saveur staff and the community volunteers there. We hope everyone is able to cook dinner again in their own home kitchens soon! —Betsy Andrews