Broadkill Store helping feed oil spill cleanup crew
For the better part of the past week, before sunrise, dozens of workers have gathered in Broadkill Beach to get daily assignments before scattering out to the area’s beaches to clean up the remnants of the recent oil spill.
With the aid of a new food truck, the owners of the Broadkill Store have been arriving even earlier to get breakfast ready for those workers. The store closed for the season at the end of September. The food truck made its debut at the Delaware Resorts Fall Home & Health Expo a few weeks ago.
The afternoon of Oct. 23, owners Erin and Shane McCarthy and Mike Hilligoss were finishing up the day by cleaning the food truck and getting ready for the next day.
It’s been an opportunity for the store to learn about the truck and to help in the effort, said Hilligoss, who grew up in Broadkill. He said the store was paid for the food, but the staff is donating their time.
Erin said they approached the contractor to see if they needed help; feeding the crew was the mission they were given.
The contractor leading the cleanup effort is New Castle County-based Lewis Environmental. Stephen Pelna is the company’s vice president. He said the company often works with local businesses and property owners so its impact is as beneficial as possible.
It can be restaurants with food or local property owners who can help workers store equipment, said Pelna. “These guys have provided local knowledge and provided us a central location for the operation,” he said.
Hilligoss said the crew from Lewis Environmental has been extremely professional.
The cleanup crew, working for subcontractors, is from all over the country. Erin McCarthy said they prepared scrapple for them one morning.
“I just told them it was a pork product,” she said, smiling. “One of the guys thought it was so good.”
Saturday morning, two more owners, Ed and Debbie Hilligoss, were back at it getting 150 breakfast sandwiches ready. Ed had been there since 4 a.m. By 6:30 a.m., Debbie was toasting English muffins, and Ed was taking those muffins and assembling breakfast sandwiches.
Ed, Mike’s brother, said the additional business is a good thing.
“We’re happy to do it,” he said. “We’re going to be busy all day, but we welcome it.”
Debbie acknowledged the opportunity kind of fell in their laps.
“It’s nice to actually be able to help,” she said.
