GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Dozens of volunteers packed a Grand Rapids American Legion hall Saturday to learn how to provide help in the aftermath of a disaster.
Operation BBQ Relief coordinators from across the Midwest came together at the American Legion Boat and Canoe Club Saturday afternoon to train 40 to 50 volunteers on how to provide meals to those in disaster-ridden areas. The organization has been serving barbecue meals since 2011, after an EF5 tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, inspiring a group of pitmasters to come together to give back.
In the fifteen years since its founding, the group has served millions of meals across 43 states and territories, including West Michigan where it responded within days of the region being hit by a string of devastating tornadoes in early March.
Union City tornado victims identified as recovery continues
After Saturday’s training, the group worked together to make more meals for those in southwest Michigan who continue to be impacted by the deadly tornadoes’ aftermath…