GarrenTeed help
Garren and Nancy Taylor (left) help Christopher McQuilkin (right) work up a plate at Tuesday's meal giveaway at Real Life Ministries Silver Valley. Sheriff Mike Gunderson (center) was also on hand to help orchestrate the first responders who showed up.
Chanse Watson
Volunteers from the event smile for the camera before they get to work. Front row from left: Brad Kitchen, Garren Taylor, Logan Castonguay and Christy Jacobs. Middle: Jill Towson and Saundra Rowland. Back: Rhonda Kitchen, Nancy Taylor, Larry Curry, Gene Jacobs, Jim Towson and Ryan Stice.
PINEHURST — It doesn't always take months of planning to pull off an event that benefits many.
GarrenTeed BBQ and Real Life Ministries Silver Valley demonstrated that on Tuesday when they provided 160 free meals to first responders and members of the community.
Garren Taylor, owner of GarrenTeed BBQ in Kellogg, explained the wheels started turning for the event just five days before when he was contacted by the to-be financiers, who simply wished to be identified as Rick and Janice.
The couple wished Taylor to hold a barbecue meal giveaway for first responders and the community at Shoshone Medical Center on Jan. 2. Unfortunately though, it was found out on the day of that the venue of choice was no longer an option. Once it was confirmed on Monday that SMC wasn't available, Taylor called an audible and got ahold of a friend for help.
"I called Gene Jacobs with Real Life Ministries (Monday) and asked if we could pivot and use his facility to serve the community," Taylor said.
Jacobs not only agreed to host the giveaway, but was able to gather 12 volunteers in less than 24 hours to help with distributing the fresh barbecue.
As for wrangling up the various emergency service personnel across the Silver Valley, that responsibility fell to Sheriff Mike Gunderson and Fire District No. 2 Chief Mark Aamodt. Between the two, they were able to get meals to 60 first responders — including police, fire, EMS, and even some hungry postal service workers.
The other 100 meals that went out the door on Tuesday went to members of the community and employees of local businesses.
Rick, Taylor and Gunderson were all happy with how the nearly spur-of-the-moment event turned out and are thankful to all who donated their time.
