Days after Hurricane Ida ripped through metro New Orleans, the community is coming together to take care of its own. While many people evacuated before the storm made landfall, and afterwards due to lack of electricity and other amenities, many stayed behind and have relied on their community for food, water, and support.
New York Pizza was one of the first, opening its doors the day after the storm to anyone who needed a good meal. Owner Susan del Corral’s gas-powered ovens were making pizzas out of dough they already had on hand and were serving them out of their Magazine Street restaurant. Manchu Food Store in Tremegot to work, seemingly as soon as Ida’s winds died down. They were serving tasty fried chicken and fried rice to long lines of hungry customers.
In the following days, other restaurants such as La Boca joined the cause serving 150 meals and Wishing Town Bakery handed out eggs, butter, pre-made dumplings, and fruit. Doris Metropolitan gave away cuts of prime beef from their New Orleans restaurant. The Howlin Wolf on South Peters gave away thousands of meals produced by local restaurants. The meals came from donations of shrimp, chicken, gumbo, and bread.
Over in Gretna, Big EZ Seafood’s “Open” sign was a welcome sight. The popular seafood spot is serving a limited menu of poboys, wraps, gumbo, seafood platters, and wings daily from 10:00 a.m to 7:00 pm. and 6:00 p.m., on Sunday. They also have ice for sale, which has been a dire need for members of the community. The restaurant is currently cash only, due to lack of WiFi, but the Big EZ Seafood team is excited to be welcoming customers back.
Culture Aid NOLA is doing the work to feed those in need who have been affected by Hurricane Ida. According to their website, they have partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank, World Central Kitchen, Resilience Force, El Pueblo NOLA, and Lowernine.org and more in order to get food to those still in the city. If you’d like to help the cause, you can donate to Culture Aid NOLA at www.cultureaidnola.org/ida.
If you’re looking for food, gas, atm, or groceries, WWL is keeping a running list at https://www.wwltv.com/article/weather/hurricane/opennola-heres-whats-open/289-301176b6-e7d2-441a-a37c-bb75361a0e33.
