Hello,
Thanks to everyone who made June’s Mexican food drive a huge success. Haylee and Sonia made delicious vegan enchiladas while John O. and family made equally amazing chicken enchiladas. Several people were kind enough to donate through Venmo and together we made 200 meals!
As you know, July marks the middle of summer. For me I think of running under a sprinkler in the yard, catching fireflies at night, and chasing down the ice cream man on my bike! But more than anything July meant BBQs.
If you’ve read a few of these posts you know that my family ate A LOT of Italian food growing up. But every summer we broke out the grill and tried something new. My dad wasn’t fancy; we had a Weber grill with charcoal briquettes and that fantastic lighter fluid you could squirt from 10 feet away to cause a mini inferno.
Each summer we added hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts, corn and more to our menu. And it wasn’t just what was on the grill. Macaroni and potato salads, corn, baked beans and fresh fruit all added to the joy of those summer evening meals. Just firing up our grill transports me back to those simple times- I vividly remember those warm, muggy nights spent listening to the Yankee game on the radio or playing kick the can until my mom yelled for us to come inside.
This month we want to give that feeling to our friends and neighbors here in Atlanta. These folks don’t always have the resources to buy fresh meat and veggies. They may not have access to fresh fruit in a local store and they probably don’t own a grill. But I bet that, just like me, many of them remember those summer nights and that means these meals are so much more than just something to eat.
Please join us this weekend, July 21st-23rd, in giving the gift of summer to these families. There are several ways you can help:
1- Make summer meals. We need entrees- burgers, hot dogs, chicken, etc. We are avoiding fish dishes since they don’t keep well. We also need sides- potato and macaroni salad, fruit salad, baked beans, corn on the cob, grilled veggies. Whatever you love to pair with your summer entrees. We can arrange pick up or drop off on Friday or Saturday.
2- If you can’t cook this month, we desperately need groceries and packaging. If you have something in mind, drop it by the house and I can cook it. Or if you’d like to help with basics like containers, plastic bags, and more, let’s talk. We could really use it.
3- Finally, if you’re not in the area and still want to support, you can donate through venmo to @ManyHandsProject. You will receive a tax donation letter and every dollar you donate will go directly to meals and supplies.
If you’d like to help this month, please reach out and we can schedule something. Let’s make July our best month and feed some bellies and some souls!
Vince Rotonda
Executive Director
Many Hands Project
“Many hands make light work”