Cindy Love of Latrobe can remember delivering a holiday meal to a family in need last year, and the look on a little boy’s face as it arrived.
“It really broke my heart,” said Love, a volunteer who helped deliver more than 450 meals cooked by the staff at Sharky’s Café in Latrobe during Christmas week of 2020 — at the height of covid-19 infections in Westmoreland County.
This year, Love and other volunteers will again join Sharky’s on Thursday , with the goal of serving 600 meals.
“We’re looking for anyone who want to come volunteer,” said Sharky’s co-owner Jamie Huemme. “We had a pretty fine-tuned assembly line last year, but we can always use more folks to help out.”
Starting around Thanksgiving, members of the community could donate to “purchase” a meal, and for every three, Sharky’s donated the fourth.
“It’s all donations from the community,” Huemme said. “The meals are ham, vegetables, salad, bread and butter. Then we have 35 to 40 people who will help us package those meals on the 23rd from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.”
Last year, Love helped make some contacts to get volunteer and donation efforts started.
“Sharky’s had it set up so that we were not in close contact and were able to do everything easily,” she said.
The response was overwhelming. In addition to serving customers, the kitchen staff cooked 17 hams that were carved and portioned as the entree in meal donations.
“It completely blew away our expectations,” Huemme said. “So we figured we’d make it an annual event.”
Families receiving meals were identified through the Shop-With-A-Cop Program, where local police take children from struggling families shopping for holiday gifts, as well as through the Latrobe Rotary’s Food for Thought Backpack Program, which provides discreet delivery of nutritious and easily prepared food to school children in need.
Donations have not been in short supply.
“We’re on track to exceed last year’s total and we have a few more days to go,” Huemme said.
Meals can be purchased through Wednesday evening by calling Sharky’s at 724-532-1620, going to SharkysCafe.com or donating in person. Those interested in volunteering can call the restaurant for more.
Co-owner John Huemme said Sharky’s staff hopes donations will get them to the 600-meal mark, but plans to make it either way.
“If the donation match doesn’t get us there, we’ll put in the rest and serve 600 meals no matter what,” he said.
Love said the giving spirit of the season, and knowing so many people are still struggling financially during the pandemic, is all the motivation she needs to volunteer.
“It helps so many people who are in need,” Love said. “And you never know when you’re going to need it. Maybe this year someone needs hep, and then next year they could turn around and be the person helping out.”
Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick at 724-850-2862, [email protected] or via Twitter .
