From left to right: Human resources manager Myra Beasley, controller Karen Heffley and executive assistant Tonya Little slice pork tenderloin for 130 personnel. Photo by Emily Scott.

It’s a bit of a running joke at Tideland. That last line in all our job descriptions that reads: “and other duties as assigned.” But no one felt it more than the team tasked with providing meals for personnel working south of the Pamlico River following Florence.

Kitchen duty at Camp Seafarer. Photo by Mark Collie.

Plan A had been to use a local caterer for the initial storm response. The caterer made it but not her facilities which were flooded. Plan B materialized when the YMCA was kind enough to offer us the use of Camp Seafarer in Arapahoe for both crew lodging and meal service. Tideland’s human resources manager Myra Beasley assumed the role of kitchen manager coordinating the preparation of 1,630 meals over a 4-day period. Her team included the co-op’s controller, safety director, executive assistant and payroll processor, associate accountant, I.T. manager, GIS specialist, purchasing director, and a departmental assistant.

Duties at the camp also included making beds and stocking daily essentials for approximately 47 personnel staying at Camp Seafarer.

Myra Beasley discusses lodging and meal requirements with Tideland CEO Paul Spruill while helper Kim Van Essendelft continues meal prep. Photo by Emily Scott.

Their days started at 3:30 am with breakfast service. By 5:00 am the meals were packaged and delivered to Tideland’s Grantsboro office where crews reported daily for duty at 5:30 am.

In addition to three square meals a day, crew coolers had to be stocked with drinks and ice and snack bags were available daily to supplement meal service. The inside staff also handled the delivery of lunch and dinner to the crews at their individual worksites.

On Friday, September 21, a New Bern restaurant stepped in to take over meal service. Myra and company were able to retire their aprons and food service gloves and return to all the other duties listed in their job descriptions.