Historical Summer 2021 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
On the Friday in February closest to Valentine’s Day, Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council has been holding an annual Appreciation Luncheon to honor the brave men and women who take care of our wonderful neighborhood.
This year would have been the 26th anniversary. Given the present pandemic situation, we were unable to have the traditional potluck lunch, but more than ever, we felt the need to express our appreciation and love to our first responders.
We had to come up with an alternate plan! Arline Webb had the brainstorm and coordinated a Pack and Deliver event. Ruth Johnson did her usual bang-up job of calling all previous food providers, but instead of requesting the much-appreciated home cooked hot dishes they usually shared, she lined up donations of bags of fruit, individual chip bags, and homemade cookies packaged in individual serving sizes.
The donations poured into the SDCC office! Snarf’s on Skinker generously provided a 25% discount on 90 sandwiches which we were able to purchase using monetary donations from neighbors. Busey Bank purchased red, reusable drawstring bags for packing the lunches.
When the number of first responders suddenly increased as the day approached, Mary Anne Rudloff graciously offered to provide additional decorated paper lunch bags.
On the morning of Friday, February 12th, Arline, Mickey Clarke, Ruth Beckloff, and Karen Kelsey came in to the SDCC office, normally closed on Fridays, to divide and pack the multitude of food donations. Once the lunches and goodies were all sorted, Mary Anne and Alderwomen, Heather Navarro and Shameem Hubbard, came to assist Arline, Mickey, and Ruth with the deliveries. Fire Stations on Enright, Vandeventer and DeBaliviere; the Washington University Police; Delmar Metro Security; and 5th District North Patrol all received boxes of lunches or treats.
The recipients expressed effusive gratitude for being acknowledged and the deliverers enjoyed their visits immensely.
The alternate appreciation delivery event was a huge success!
To be sure, however, everyone is looking forward to the time when we can all come together again to have our crowded, boisterous, potluck luncheon to say THANK YOU to our first responders in person – maybe in 2022!
Original photograph caption
First responder delivery photograph at fire station; individuals not captioned.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, Summer 2021.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2021_06.pdf, printed page(s) 4; PDF page(s) 3.
