COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Many people are enduring power outages and busted pipes, but thankfully crews are braving the cold to fix those problems. One Bryan/College Station pizza company wanted to show their appreciation by feeding some of these maintenance superheroes.
The Wild Garlic Pizza owner and head chef Tanner Purdum knew it had been a rough week for the facility maintenance workers on Texas A&M's campus. He wanted to do something for them. Purdum got in contact with the REACH Project to ask if they could help him organize an event with his mobile catering business.
"I didn't know all I can do right now," said Purdum. "Whether it was just me being there with a truck or with the oven, I'm happy to do it."
The non-profit's founder, Max Gerall, quickly got back to Purdum and came up with a plan to feed 50 maintenance workers at the Facility Service Building Thursday afternoon.
Purdum said he is glad he could put a smile on their faces.
"Just to be able to provide something warm and good like pizza, I mean who doesn't like pizza?" Purdum said. "It's always fun to be able to use your craft to help people."
Facility maintenance staff have had crews working non-stop since Sunday night. They said to see community members like Purdum lend a helping hand and show them generosity during this unprecedented time is encouraging.
"It makes you step back and look at the bigger picture that we are all in this together as a community," said Justin Ellard, a maintenance supervisor for Texas A&M. "It does affect everybody, we all have value and we all play a role. It's wonderful to see that and we're very appreciative for that."
Purdum thanks the REACH Project for organizing and volunteering at Thursday's pizza buffet.