By: Shoshiana Vang

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – Every Monday, the MayDay Community Kitchen (MayDay), a local nonprofit organization made up of volunteers, cooks up meals and packs them to hand out to the unhoused community and struggling working class.

MayDay began during COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as a way to help ensure community members receive food through struggling times. The idea came from a chef named Alex Tripodi, who works as the Chef de Cuisine at Cafe Rue Orleans.

“It started as people needing food period,” Ethan Chanley, a volunteer, said.

Tripodi also wanted to unite professional chefs within Fayetteville since the pandemic was a time of uncertainty and unemployment for many chefs. He had a connection with a friend at the St. James Food Pantry, so he initiated a contract for donated ingredients. The organization continues to maintain a stable contract.

The cooking is chef-run. Members utilize kitchens that were donated for the day to prepare and cook the food. The kitchen usage came from two other regular volunteers who are chefs. The cooking alternates between Atlas The Restaurant and The Farmer’s Table Cafe.

MayDay operates year-round, but recently, it offers different ways to hand out the food. In the summer, it handed out the food in an open buffet style with tables. However, as winter creeped by, members of the unhoused community had to wait in line for the food. The volunteers decided to start packing the food into carry out boxes.

Chanley said the idea came so that the unhoused community members do not have to stay out longer than they needed for the food.

Another method Chanley mentioned is that the volunteers also delivered food. They drop off food at the camps before heading to Walker Park. They table the rest of the food for any person that comes up to them wanting a meal.

“By doing that, we were able to serve more people,” Chanley said.

The organization has a handful of people, but new volunteers are welcome to join at any point. No cooking experience is required.

Anna Bisbee, a volunteer, joined MayDay earlier this year because she wanted to get in mutual aid.

She said that once she started showing up, it became something she loved doing.

MayDay’s mission is to continue to keep cooking warm meals for the community because it believes that everyone deserves food.