Dumont’s Community Bowl serves meals, donates supplies to aid Cedar Rapids recovery efforts

The love of food for an area restaurant’s staff recently translated to a helping hand for a portion of Iowa ravaged by an unprecedented storm.

Last Friday, representatives of Community Bowl in Dumont traveled to Cedar Rapids with a pickup truck full of supplies and six volunteers ready to serve meals for citizens and those helping with the relief effort.

On Monday, Aug. 10, a derecho event tore through a wide stretch of Iowa before leveling Cedar Rapids with 125-plus mile an hour winds. Two weeks later, crews and homeowners were still at work removing debris, repairing buildings and trying to restore electricity.

“The Crew That Cares” signed up through the United Way of East Central Iowa to serve meals at one of 10 locations throughout the city, distributing more than 200 meals over the course of the day.

“There were all kinds of people coming through, grabbing meals for neighbors and friends…it was a humbling experience,” said Community Bowl owner Brandon Barber.

Along with the physical effort, the Community Bowl representatives also brought with them food, water, children’s toys, baby food and other items donated to the restaurant before leaving on the trip. Those items were then donated to various organizations in Cedar Rapids.

Barber said driving through Cedar Rapids was an overwhelming experience, as the scale of ruin was apparent despite the non-stop effort to clean up the city. However, he said that one thing that was not damaged in the storm was the collective spirit of the community.

“When you think of a disaster, you think of people screaming and crying, but people were laughing and having a good time. They have the attitude and mindset that, ‘Hey this happened, let’s get it done,’” he said. “Obviously, people are inconvenienced by not having electricity and I know there was a lot of loss, but the attitudes and the moods were very high compared to what you would expect when something like that happens.

“We heard from multiple people that the crews that weren’t from around there complimented the community on how well Iowans got along and were appreciative of them being there and being patient,” he added.

Barber said the experience was not only one he’ll never forget, but one that has inspired him to look into expanded ways to help out in similar disasters. He said one idea he wants to pursue is a food trailer that would allow him and volunteers to serve fresh food on site to volunteers and those in need. This would be a way, Barber said, to give back for the support they’ve received since reopening.

“We’ve always wanted to help people but we haven’t always been in the position to be able to,” he said. “Now with the popularity of the bowling alley and things going our way a little bit, we want to help people as much as possible.”

Until then, Barber said he plans to take another trip to Cedar Rapids next Monday, Aug. 31 with more supplies. Those who would like to contribute can drop cash or check donations off at Community Bowl, 518 Main Street in Dumont.