Restaurants open kitchens to shelter’s meals program

By Flora Gibson, Columbia Gorge News

February 7, 2024

Even when a handful of Hood River Shelter’s contributing restaurants closed their doors in the January 12 winter storm, while layers of snow and ice accumulated in single-digit temperatures, they opened their kitchens to keep the shelter fed, according to Sarah Kellems, development and engagement coordinator at Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC), which operates the seasonal warming shelter, open mid-November to mid-March.

Kellems called attention to several culinary teams who sustained the Restaurant Meals Program through the storm's worst — who, in some instances, walked to their closed restaurants to cook meals, or delivered them on icy roads when volunteers were unavailable.

“We see severe weather almost every winter,” Kellems said, and the only available winter service in Hood River that will provide any houseless person with a warm bed and nutritious meal is the shelter, and its meals program.

The program received periodical meals from Andrew’s Pizza, Bodas, Double Mountain, Full Sail, Local Rhoots, Mesquitery, New York City Sub Shop, Pelinti’s, Pfriem, Riverside Restaurant and 6th Street Bistro during the severe weather of mid-December to mid-January, and the program was able to feed all guests through the storm, Kellem said.

Among other contributors, the Mosier Company team provided a meal and delivered it in icy conditions, when no volunteer was able to help.

Although Celilo Restaurant and Bar closed for the storm, chef and co-owner Ben Stenn and his daughter opened their kitchen to prepare and deliver 25 servings of baked salmon and rice with all the fixings.

“We had decided to close the restaurant due to weather,” Stenn said. “There was a moment of decision. Basically, we should get down to the restaurant safely and cook for people. I announced that I was heading down and Isis volunteered to help me ... We’re a good team as we’ve done this many time before.”

At Solstice Wood Fire Pizza, the culinary team was preparing for a big holiday dinner when the snow came down and the business shuttered. Stuck with a feast’s worth of ingredients, they made meatball alfredo for the shelter.

“Pretty much the whole team volunteered to come in, regardless of whether or not we’re gonna be open or close. ... our prep kitchen manager, literally walked in a snowstorm,” said Aaron Baumhackl, Solstice co-owner and chief executive officer.

“We opened a restaurant to feed and nourish people. So this is this is our primary way of doing that for our community,” he added.

Celilo Restaurant and Bar closed for the storm, chef and co-owner Ben Stenn and his daughter Isis opened their kitchen to prepare and deliver 25 servings of baked salmon and rice with all the fixings.

Multiple local restaurants also sustained the meals program with donations through the pandemic, Kellems noted.

While serving during a storm closure is new for Celilo, they also sustained the meals program while closed for the pandemic, delivering up to 50 meals at a time, often weekly.

“I always enjoy preparing food for others in the restaurant environment because in our household, ‘I care about you’ or ‘I love you’ is most often communicated through food,” Stenn’s daughter, Isis, said. “It is always fulfilling to be able to share our love language with people that don’t always have that privilege.”

“It’s always that interesting dynamic where your, as a business, struggling yet feel, regardless of your own personal situation, sometimes helping others is really the remedy for that kind of climate,” Baumhackl said of the pandemic.

The meal program provides shelter guests with meals ranging from soup and cornbread to lasagna. “All of the restaurants that participate really have a dedication and a love for feeding people,” Kellems said. “And what I’ve seen is that ... it’s meaningful to them to be part of this program. And it also means a lot to the shelter guests. Not only are they receiving a meal, they’re also feeling valued in their community, and they’re receiving a meal that someone would receive if they went out to eat. So it is very meaningful beyond the actual food itself.”

Celilo Restaurant and Bar closed for the storm, chef and co-owner Ben Stenn and his daughter Isis opened their kitchen to prepare and deliver 25 servings of baked salmon and rice with all the fixings.

Stenn’s also committed to the program’s ideals. “We have a duty to help. We have a warm home and food on our table. It’s our responsibility to contribute where we can and provide for those who lack these critical things,” he added.

Roughly 80 people used the shelter’s services last winter, with 13 transitioning to long-term housing placements. For them, every shelter service was affected by COVID-19.

“That form of providing shelter changed a lot during the pandemic,” Kellems said. Prior, the shelter used a bunk model: Lots of people sleeping in one small room. But that was no longer safe with COVID. Funds from Hood River County and City of Hood River allowed the purchase of small shelter units, and now each guest shares a private space with a partner or roommate.

“Before the pandemic, it was also a nighttime-only shelter,” Kellems said, “and the library often served as kind of a de facto daytime shelter for people who are experiencing houselessness.” Now, the shelter opens all day, letting community partners like Bridges to Health, One Community Health and Center for Living visit and connect guests with services. It serves an average of 21 guests a night, Kellems estimated. The shelter can't accommodate families with children under 18, but can hand out referrals and limited hotel vouchers during storms.

 Mosier Company team provided a meal and delivered it in icy conditions, when no volunteer was able to help during the Jan. 12 storm.

The meals program began ten years ago with an informal network of commitments, Kellem said, as “there were a few restaurants many years ago who weren’t who would occasionally provide a meal,” and Riverside Restaurant chef Mark DeResta approached the shelter to build a more formal network.

The program received periodical meals from Andrew’s Pizza, Bodas, Double Mountain, Full Sail, Local Rhoots, Mesquitery, New York City Sub Shop, Pelinti’s, Pfriem, Riverside Restaurant and 6th Street Bistro during the severe weather of mid-December to mid-January, and the program was able to feed all guests through the storm, Kellem said.

It wasn’t a perfect scenario. Some staff ended up spending the night and working extra as roads became unsafe. Extra guests turned up. Volunteers Dan Ball and Chris Kendall worked extra shifts. Food donations for the pantry were low.

“We have limited supplies for things like sleeping bags that we were giving out to people who were unsheltered,” Kellems said. She’s just glad the power didn’t go out this year.

After businesses reopen, memories of teamwork and family remain. “I will remember a quiet moment, cooking with my daughter, working with purpose,” Stenn said.

“What I remember ... is my team, being 110% on board with it, regardless of being paid or not,” Baumhackl said. “...It’s really heartwarming.”

Restaurants interested in joining the meals program, and community members interested in donating or volunteering can contact Kellems at skellems@mccac.com.