They may not have roofs over their heads, but the hundreds of Occupy Wall Street protesters who have been camping out in Zuccotti Park for more than a month eat well.
A 20-year veteran gourmet chef prepares meals for the scores of protesters using donated organic ingredients from small upstate farms, including West Haven Farm and Northland Sheep Dairy, reports The New York Post.
Once the farm products are ready, a driver heads up to each of the donating farms and returns with crates full of delectable ingredients for the protesters.
Chef Eric Smith, who used to supervise 1,000-attendee banquets at the Sheraton Hotel, prepares the meals in a soup kitchen, the pastor of which donated the space for food preparation to ensure the protesters didn’t go hungry, according to the paper.
Up to a dozen cooks work in the kitchen at any given time, with the most volunteers helping out on Saturdays when the protesters ranks peak. Once the meals are ready, a driver picks them up at the soup kitchen and takes them to the park, reports the Post.
Meals are served by 7 p.m. six days a week.
Protest volunteers say the group initially prepared food in people’s homes, but once the movement got too big, that became impractical. Organizers began reaching out to realtors, church groups and others as they searched for lease space.
Overcoming Love Ministries’ Pastor Leo Karl answered their prayers last week when he offered up his East New York soup kitchen.
Local
“I support their needs, because I support anyone who has needs in New York,” Karl told the Post. “It’s a five-star soup kitchen.”
