This is not a recipe post nor the image shown here. This post is about feeding the homeless folks of Spokane, Washington. Shane and I have been handing out healthy food as and when he came upon them by donations. They normally get meals during the week by several organizations downtown. We have noticed the homeless population is not getting served well on the weekends. We decided to step up in order to fill this gap whenever possible. Shane’s concern is to make sure the food is nourishing and does not produce garbage that will be discarded on the streets.
This is how we decided to start with our favorite Shredded Chicken Teriyaki Sandwiches from Shane’s recipe. It’s really delicious because the chicken is marinated overnight with teriyaki sauce, crushed pineapple and sautéed sweet Walla Walla onions (donated). We made 50 rolls of this wrapped in a single layer of cling wrap. I was stingy, making sure it will be as little waste as possible. I think I’ve finally found a happy medium to use our cooking skills and share food with some of the homeless folks.
We drove to areas where they usually congregate and try to stop whenever we see single individual on the streets downtown. Shane distributed the sandwiches along with masks, emergency blankets and water. A heartwarming moment for me was to see a man closing his eyes and savoring the taste of the sandwich. This is what I’ve wanted to achieve – to be able to help provide food that is not only nourishing but restaurant quality from my experience being a fine dining Asian fusion cook in Phuket, Thailand.
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
Mother Teresa
Being hungry, alone and in debt is a scary situation. I’ve been there and feel truly blessed to work myself out of it. We don’t know what each circumstance that leads to where these homeless people came to be. All we can do is provide support, showing them they aren’t alone. You can even start by checking in on your elderly neighbor living alone or calling a relative/friend you haven’t spoken in a long time. Most importantly, take care of yourself – mind, body and spirit.
Queuing up for food 
This is how some sleep – on just pieces of cardboard 
Welfare check