Acrylic on canvas, 20x20in - 2022
In its first year of operation in 1906 – 1907, The Mission served 13,440 meals. By 2018 – 2019, that total had climbed to 495,360. By 2021 – 2022 and more than two years into the pandemic, that total had risen to 938,210.
To meet this need, we require significant storage capacity for daily and special meals. The Easter 2022 meal was the first holiday meal after the food truck program was expanded. Preparations began weeks in advance to ensure that everyone who turned to The Mission would be fed.
Before the pandemic, about 2,500 meals were served during holiday meals. During Easter 2022, we served 10,084 meals, including 4,500 pounds of turkey, 1,500 pounds of beef, 100 pans of stuffing, 3,000 pounds of potatoes, 1,000 pounds of carrots, 150 gallons of gravy, and 900 vegetarian quiches.
Here, a kitchen staffperson prepares to enter the walk-in freezer at The Mission to transport needed food upstairs.