On Thanksgiving Day, Chef Tom French embarked upon a journey across the country to ask the question - "How do we bring the heart of what we love to the challenge of eliminating terrorism in our world?" Joined by some other wonderful souls, they visited community centers, firehouses, schools and homeless shelters. Along the way this band of spirit warriors created community feasts and expressive arts events. I felt the call of this journey and flew to Washington DC and New York City to join the Bus Tour the week before Christmas. (Visit www.bountifultable.org for more on the journey)
It is difficult to find words to express the magic of this time. It felt like weeks of living packed into one. We had the deep honor of being welcomed into the hearts of the firemen at midtown firestation - Engine 24, Ladder 1. We prepared a dinner for 350 undocumented immigrents whose families were affected by the events of 9/11 (see photos below), including collecting hundreds of toys and art supplies for their children in a 24 hour period. We of course visited Ground Zero, as well as the Cathedral of St Divine, which had a major fire the day we arrived in NYC.
