Following founder Sam Walton’s belief in giving back to the community, Walmart Disaster Cooking Team travels around the country helping those in crisis. On Tuesday, the team along with community volunteers and partners with Tyson Foods were at the Walmart Supercenter on Bobby Jones Expressway.
“A lot of people want to help people when they need it the most, but they don’t know how. Walmart’s got the resources. It really is a ministry,” said Rickey Oliver, who has worked for Walmart for more than 25 years and helped found the team.
About 45 Walmart truck drivers plus volunteers and Tyson employees expected to feed between 5,000 and 6,000 Augusta area residents. There are about 15 Walmart employees who stay with the team and have the process down to a science.
One team works in Hell’s Kitchen and cooks up the meat, potatoes, gravy and veggies. Another group packages the food in containers. Other teams hand out bags of ice and cases of water.
“We do the ice last,” said Wyatt Jepsen, another team member and driver, who added they learned that through experience.
Cars file through the parking lot, and drivers can stop to get the different items at the multiple stations.
Oliver said the process is a smooth one unlike when he started the team several years ago. He said some of the truck drivers saw the needs as they went into the communities. They asked Walmart to help. He said they gave him a grill and told him to go.
“I burned as many hamburgers as I cooked,” Oliver said and laughed.
Oliver said they expected to cook again in Augusta on Wednesday before packing up and heading to North Carolina.
“I wish we could stay longer,” he said.
In addition to the food distribution, there is a mobile washing machine and dryer truck set up in the parking lot as well. People can wash two loads and trucks will be set up for almost two weeks.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years and is a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
