S.P.U.D Patrol...Asheville, North Carolina
SPUD Patrol's Jeffrey Armstrong interviewed on the
VIRATO LIVE! Radio Show
from Asheville Magazine... Click Here
Come and volunteer for these |
We now have coordinators for a new S.P.U.D. Patrol in Asheville, North Carolina!
Chuck & Annette Hunner at 828-216-1422 or hunner@charter.net
Location this week will be near the center of downtown Asheville at Pritchard Park!
in Asheville is Ahope Center, 19 N, Ann Street...we will begin at 11:30 am
Thank you to the Asheville January 30th, 2010 VOLUNTEERS!!
What an amazing day.
It was no big deal. No big flashy events.....yet,
it was an extraordinary, stellar moment in my life. One of those underwhelming moments that just floors me as I contemplate it.
We arrived at Ahope around 10:40 AM. I had driven down to Ryan's place to pick him up since his truck was stranded on the side of the road by the snow. We'd received about 10 or 12 inches of new snow Friday night. Miraculously, the small fleet of snow removal trucks was up to the task of clearing most of the roads. There was still a coat of ice and slush on the roads, but at least the snow had been scraped away. This is 180 degrees from what happened back in December. They must have learned from their mistakes.
It was so cold, and so snowy, then blowing, biting, freezing rainy that morning, that I reasoned people would take any shelter they could get. So instead of setting up outside at Pritchard Park, I drove us to Ahope. Good thing. There were more people in there than I'd ever seen before. As soon as I got out of the car somebody shouted, "HEY! It's Potato Man!" I smiled. We carried our spuds and condiments in and got set up. It took about 21 minutes to serve 70 potatoes (50 lbs) with all the trimmin's - extra if you wanted. We ran out! Fortunately the line had dwindled to only two guys. They acted like they didn't really care. I bet next time they will get in line sooner. Inside the shelter was bustling. It was crowded. Barely enough space to have a little elbow room. Noisy, and happy, somehow. Warm. Humid. Big contrast to the harsh outdoors. I asked Heather how many were here. She said that they had an understanding with the Fire Marshal that it was OK to allow extra people shelter from the storm on days like this. Hearts were warm. It felt almost festive to me. Yet, I am well fed, afford my own home and food, pay taxes even! And here I was in a building full of people who are at the other end of prosperity. They are at the end of their wits. It was all they could do, to make it indoors.
I'm sharing their experience. My perspective is that 'All is Well'. Their perspective appears to be somewhat more desperate. Yet Ryan and I made a small difference in their day. We shared what little we had with them. We shared a simple food that we prepared and served with Love. May they do well with it, knowing that they are loved!
Thanks Very Much to Virato, Ryan, Annette, Lauri, Heather, Amanda, Theo, Thalia, Katrina, David, Moss, Sandi and Jeffrey for all they do to make this possible. And special thanks to Charles and Dillon who made things run so smoothly in the kitchen on Saturday. Those two guys volunteer their time every week at Ahope, doing their best to help the disadvantaged have a little bit better luck.
We'll be back, downtown, on February 27th with a lot more potatoes. We'll never run out of spuds again.
ps...If you've read this and feel like helping, give me a call. 828-216-1422
Best Regards,
Chuck
We are looking for many volunteers next month for SPUD Patrol in Asheville - see you there!
The SPUD Count - About 70 potatoes served!
"May all be fed, may all be loved"
New Asheville SPUD Article from the Asheville Homeless Network!
The Spud Patrol Mantras: |
November 2009
![]() Ryan Kurczak, Annette Hunner, Lori Maerov during a lull in the action. |
![]() Chuck loads the cooler. I was going to entitle it, Chuck-getting loaded, but that never looked this good! I used a pair of my old welding gloves to handle the 400 degree+ potatoes. |
September 2009
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Some Previous Monthly SPUD Reports:
Thank you to the Asheville December 2009 VOLUNTEERS!!
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Thank you to the Asheville November 2009 VOLUNTEERS!! Great thanks this month go to Kim, Lori Maerov, Ryan Kurczak, Linda Cammarata (from last month!), Annette, Chuck, Ahope and Frank Walters, Sandi Graham, and Jeffrey Armstrong.
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Thank you to the Asheville September 2009 VOLUNTEERS!! Next month we plan on using the Park! If it's cold then (Oct. 3rd) please remember to clean out your closets and bring a few warm goodies for the DUDS table! Special Thanks to: Frank Walters, Heather, Eric, Smokey, Allen, Robert, Payne, Christy, Dianne, Larry Sexton, Annette, Chuck, Jeffrey Armstrong and Sandi Graham.
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Come and volunteer for these |
"Family Feeding Family" |
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Pleasing Saturn... What did I discover through this practice? I found that my own problems are really insignificant. Sure your life seems tough when you don't have a yardstick to judge it by, but it was a very powerful experience to see the happiness and genuine grattitude from another person, just by giving them a baked potato with butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper. It made me realize the cliche, that its the simple things in life that make all the difference. Many times, as I unwrapped the potatoes and sent them on down the line to be 'dressed up', my eyes started to fill with tears. As the new autumn sun shone down on us, and the air was clear and the pigeons descended on a chunk of potato that fell from a plate, life felt charged. A lot of the work I do for my business deals with helping folks manage miasmic existential issues in their life. And sure I donate blood or money to organizations, but actually getting outside and meeting serving others face to face- it is very powerful. From now on, I think, at least one aspect of the advice I give will be to go give a steaming hot baked potato to a homeless person on a cold day, and maybe even throw in a pair of warm gloves. Maybe you could start a Spud Patrol in your town, or come join ours in Asheville! Do it to help someone with an empty belly. Do it for Saturn. Do it because it makes you feel good. For what ever reason you do it, its always a good thing to help out. Maybe it will rearrange some of your priorities as it did mine. We'll be doing this every Saturday nearest the moon going to full. Contact me if you'd like to learn more and I'll forward you on the organizer of this service. ~ Ryan Kurczak __________________________________________________________ |
Good Karma & Many Blessings,
Chuck & Annette







