Training for a disaster

Nancy Bentley of the Red Cross is preparing for the worst.

"We're learning how to start a mass care kitchen and run it from start to finish," said Bentley, the director of the Red Cross in Canton. "For a lot of us we've never done that before."

But they did it Saturday.

And while the dining room at First United Methodist Church of Peoria isn't a disaster area, about 20 Red Cross personnel were there training to feed up to 400 people during an emergency.

"My assignment was making a lot of cookies," said Rick Brown. "It started smelling pretty good. And they all got on the tray."

It was a team effort. Every Saturday, for the last 15 years, the Loaves & Fishes Ministry has served hot meals at the First United Methodist Church of Peoria to those in need.

"We have a great kitchen here," said Colleen Soon of Loaves & Fishes. "Heart of Illinois Harvest gets food from grocery stores and restaurants that would normally throw away food. They had the food, we had the kitchen, so it's a good collaboration between the two organizations."

"(Loaves & Fishes) started as a smaller group and gradually, through the years, it's increased," said Deb Williamson. "Word got around and we've been able to keep going with it. It's a great ministry and it does your heart good to see someone get a good meal in their stomach."

While training for difficult times, the Red Cross volunteers experienced some very good ones.

"The gratification is seeing someone with a hot meal after they're traumatized by a disaster," said Carolyn Hughes of the Red Cross. " Giving cookies to a kid, that means more to them than a piece of chicken."

But the next time they do it it won't be a drill.

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