Food Containers

For weeks I have talked about two food containers we were expecting. We were told yesterday they would be at the warehouse at 9:30 this morning. Bumblebee Tuna donated two full containers of canned meat: tuna, chicken, sardines, oysters and so much more. And to my friends in Columbus, Starkville, and West Point, the flavor of the south is now in Honduras. Bryan Food Vienna Sausages. Doesn't get much better than that.

We got up at 5:00 and left for town at 6:00 to go to the fruit market. We got there at 7:00 and finished at 8:00. Then we had a cup of coffee and went to the warehouse at 9:15. In Honduras when someone tells you 9:30, that means they won't be there before 9:30 and no telling how much after. The first truck arrived at 10:30. Timoteo, two of his sons and some of the Baxter students came to unload the trucks. Thank goodness, or we would still be there. Think about a can of tuna and 12 of those make a case. The cases are not very big. I think there must have been a million cases. Funny thing how a 40 feet container on the outside looks like a 100 feet on the inside. And no matter what the packing list said, I think crossing the ocean, the cases multiplied. No forklift. We used dollies and, in true Mary Sharkey style, a wheelbarrow. More than one can of sardines broke open and leaked on us. Don't you know we smelled great? It took 8 hours to unload those two containers. I might have worked that hard before, but I don't remember when. Of course, Marc was, by far, the dirtiest of all of us. He always is.

When we finally finished, all of us went to eat pizza. With sardine juice and sweat mixed together, there was a green funky cloud hanging over our table. Some people were seated at the table next to us and immediatly asked to be moved. Everyone worked hard all day. I know they were hungry. The students from Baxter that are married each took a piece of pizza and wrapped it up in a napkin to take to their wives. Everyone that worked had 2 cases of tuna to take home as well. When we left the Pizza Hut, it sure seemed like a long, long way to Santa Ana tonight, even though it is only 30 kilometers.

I am really tired tonight and really dirty. If I had a bathtub, I probably would be taking a long hot bath, that is if I could step over into the tub. I am also excited just thinking about all the people this food will help and how grateful they will be to receive it. This food will be completely distributed in two weeks or less. Most Hondurans that will be receiving canned meat have never had anything like this. Most cannot even imagine what they will be receiving. The ones that eat daily have beans and rice. Some people don't eat daily. This next week most people in the United States will be preparing and/or eating feasts for Thanksgiving and there's nothing wrong with that. There will be people in Honduras receiving their first can of tuna or sardines and being so thankful for canned meat. Let's all really count our blessings this week.

Terri