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Big Thank You goes out to all those folks who helped make muffins and helped us serve them to the riders! This year, Janet McBrien headed up the MeridianTeaParty.com’s Run For The Wall Muffin Breakfast event and by all measures it was a huge success. Janet’s report on the effort and a gallery of pictures taken by Margaret Remy follows.
The Run For The Wall takes place each year during the week leading up to Memorial Day and motorcycle riders numbering in the thousands all travel across the United States to meet up for the Rolling Thunder parade in Washington D.C. Their mission is to “promote healing among ALL veterans and their families and friends, to call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action (POW/MIA), to honor the memory of those Killed in Action (KIA) from all wars, and to support our military personnel all over the world.”
One of the favorite stops along the Southern Route of RFTW is Meridian, MS for the hospitality our community shows these noble riders. A small part of that hospitality is the Homemade Muffin Breakfast provided to all the riders free of charge. MeridianTeaParty.com members make the homemade delicacies and arrive at the Ag Center about 5:30am to prepare and then serve the hundreds of riders just prior to their return to the highway. Janet McBrien picks up the story:
Please say a big Thank You to all the ladies who provided muffins for the “Run for the wall” (RFTW) bikers.
As usual we all made too many (an estimated 1500 to 2000) even though we were short two bakers who signed up originally. I would rather have too many than not enough. Some citizens pitched in without being asked. Talk about Meridian team spirit.
Some of the leftover muffins and OJ went to the VA in Meridian. About 100-200 muffins and two gallons of OJ were delivered to NAS Meridian for the instructors and student pilots. The rest (most of them perhaps 400 – 500) were taken by one of the biker crew members – with a truck – who asked if she could take them to a VA hospital and to a homeless shelter the RFTW vets were going to visit later that day. We all agreed that was a great idea. I asked her to tell the homeless and the vets that the goodies came from the Meridian TEA Party.
Please give a great big “Thank You Margaret Remy” shout out for being our photographer. We are all looking forward to seeing her pictures.
We all had a great time talking to the bikers. What a high class group of Ladies and Gents we were pleased to meet, greet, swap stories with and to serve. They were a very diverse group, folks full of fun stories, who look forward to each year’s overnight stay here in Meridian. They really appreciate Meridian hospitality. Don’t know how many times we heard this. They were very sincere. We were told this by dozens of smiling faces and we got handshakes and hugs aplenty.
One biker told us that the folks who took on the laundry task were outstanding. “My clothes weren’t this clean when I bought them new!” Let’s give a big public “Thank You!” to them. Perhaps the Mayor might be willing to drop them a “Well Done” in one of her public comments.
Thanks again for everyone’s assistance in making the breakfast a big success!
Janet McBrien.
It was a great experience to hear all the comments from the bikers about MS hospitality. I’m looking forward to getting up at 4:00a.m. next year after having baked over a hundred cupcakes and talking with the participants.
Thanks to all the TEA Party members and representatives of other groups in Meridian who make the Run for the Wall special for not only the riders, but those of us privileged to make the riders welcome. It gives us an opportunity to thank THEM for what they do in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. If you haven’t been a part of this event in the past, put it on your calendar for next year. You will be blessed.
What a thrill it was to see the patriotism that is still alive in our country!! I visited with people who were from NC to CA. They were grateful for the food and drink. Their organization is something to see.