Local caterer brings hot meals to seniors affected by riots

Local caterer brings hot meals to seniors affected by riots

Volunteers from the Sisters of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Brothers of King Douglas Grand Lodge International Masons provided a hot breakfast to seniors at an assisted living facility in West Baltimore affected by the riots of April 27. Kimberly Ellis’ (back row, under the word ‘Masons’) catering company, Breaking Bread, provided the food as well as half the costs of the meals. (Photo courtesy of Kimberly Ellis)

By Roberto Alejandro

      The rioting that shook Baltimore on April 27 hit a senior center on the 1500 block of W. North Ave. particularly hard, with nearby pharmacies destroyed by looting and meal deliveries affected by street closings in the area.

On May 2, Kimberly Ellis used her catering company, Breaking Bread, to provide food for the seniors at the facility, providing a hot breakfast that included biscuits, smothered potatoes, turkey sausage, eggs, and coffee.

“We started around 10 (a.m.), and we probably were done around noon,” said Ellis, “and the leftovers we just took down to Veterans Row, down by the post office.”

Ellis is a sister in the Order of the Eastern Star, an affiliate of the Masons. The Order put up half the funds for the free breakfast while Ellis’s catering company provided the other half.

“[The seniors] were really appreciative,” said Ellis. “When you give to someone, or an organization, you really do get a lot more than you give out.”

The meals were distributed to the seniors by members of the Sisters of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Brothers of King Douglas Grand Lodge International Masons, and their families, according to Ellis.

“It was really nice for the young people to serve and clean up after [the seniors], and make a difference,” said Ellis, whose two teenage nephews from New Jersey assisted.