Five tons of food from Grand Prix goes to charity
Published: April 24, 2007
The gentlemen who started their engines helped cooks for the homeless fire up their burners.
Five tons of food - really - left over from hospitality areas at last weekend’s Grand Prix of St. Petersburg went to the St. Vincent de Paul food center.
“We’ve been unloading for three days,” said Sophie Sampson, the executive director of St. Vincent.
It was good stuff, too: lobster, steak, clams, mussels, shrimp, chicken and pasta, for example.
“We’re talking trays of beautiful cheese trays and meat trays,” Sampson said.
It amounted to 10,263 pounds, Sampson said, quoting St. Vincent chef Bill Beecher, who kept track of every morsel.
St. Vincent de Paul shared the bounty with the Haven of Rest mission in Pinellas Park. The spread came courtesy of the IRL Ministry, an organization serving the Indy Racing League, the Grand Prix’s sanctioning body.
The ministry has been donating unused food to rescue missions for years, and last year gave away about 100,000 pounds in communities where races take place, according to its Web site.
“We have got enough food for three months,” Sampson said.
The comestibles came at a good time. A city-authorized tent city nearby has increased St. Vincent de Paul’s clientele.
One measurement of busier days: 1,150 people showed up in March to take showers, compared to 500 to 600 during each of the year’s first two months, Sampson said. Meanwhile, the night shelter space has doubled to accommodate 50.
As a result, the center needs blankets and towels. Donations are welcome, she said.
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