Feeding Those in Need
Insurance Busters serving meals at German American Social Club
Since Hurricane Ian devastated the Southwest Florida area, many organizations and agencies have stepped up to the plate to provide relief to local residents.
One group that arrived imminently after the storm to help feed residents is InsuranceBusters.net. Out of Galveston, Texas, now with an office in Port Charlotte, they came to the area to provide hot meals for those who were without power, water and, unfortunately for many, their home.
Now set up at the German American Social Club in Cape Coral for the past month and a half, delicious barbecue and cold drinks are available daily for anyone that needs it.
“We do this every time there’s a big storm,” said Chuck Townsend, public insurance adjuster apprentice for Insurance Busters. “We came down the day before the storm.”
The group can provide more than a thousand hot meals per day, and that’s exactly what they’ve been doing since arriving.
Townsend, being a veteran, reached out to the American Legion commanders locally and asked if there was a suitable location they could set up to distribute food and drinks.
They got set up with a spot at the American Legion in Port Charlotte and while in the area, began looking for other spaces they could set up areas to help feed residents, and drove by the GASC.
“I thought it would be perfect,” Townsend said.
He reached out to the club over social media and the two organizations eventually met at a local fundraising benefit. After speaking and naturally ironing out any skepticism, the group got the green light to set up shop.
“We don’t want anything from them except a place to feed people,” Townsend said.
GASC President Stephen Bauer added, “They said they would put a bucket out and any donation would go 100% to the German American Club in exchange for just being able to occupy the parking lot. We’re just working on an emergency-basis after the storm as you would. A ‘you help me, I help you.’ It’s gone really well.”
Bauer said donations collected have really helped the club fund some of the repairs they’ve had to make. Insurance Busters also hired an engineering firm that did repair drawings for their entry portico.
The building was red-tagged after the storm due to the entry portico having significant uplift and the four columns that held it up were compromised.
“They actually paid the engineer fee for us,” Bauer said.
The drawings have been submitted to the city and have been waiting for three weeks to be approved, Bauer said.
“In the meantime, we’ve cleaned up our Beer Garden area,” he added.
All of the fallen trees and debris have been cleared, and the site was even used as a staging area for out-of-town linemen trucks resorting power to the area. Now, volunteers are working on the outbuildings — outdoor kitchen and bar areas. They have had temporary roof repairs done on the big hall, and the last step is getting the portico finished.
“Those donations have been helping pay for (repairs),” Bauer said. “A lot will be covered by donations. We only have one day left of work to do once the permit is approved.”
What’s not going to be covered by donations is the $50,000 spent clearing the Beer Garden area of massive amounts of debris.
Insurance Busters are at GASC every day serving hot brisket, smoked brisket, burgers, dogs, sides and more. They get all of their supplies from Sam’s Club and are paid for by the organization’s founder, Cal Spoon.
They’ve set up a triangle around areas damaged the most to get people fed, and have served thousands per day in some locations.
Townsend said at the GASC, they have plenty of food to serve and would love to see more residents turn out to get a free meal. People can stop by from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day.
“We don’t care who you are or what you do, it’s for everybody and anybody,” Townsend said. “If giving somebody a hot meal and an ice-cold drink can put a smile on somebody’s face and kind of take the weight off their shoulders for 30 minutes — I can’t tell you how many people that just want to talk and vent and have a shoulder to cry on. It’s been incredible to be able to do this and be in a position to do it.”
Insurance Busters is collecting donations for the club that suffered heavy damage from the storm. GASC had to cancel its annual Oktoberfest celebration this year — one of the most looked-forward to annual events in Southwest Florida.
“Any donations go straight to the German American Social Club,” Townsend said.
Bauer said the club is looking to put on an Oktoberfest-style major event either the last weekend of February or first weekend in March. He hopes to have the building open for normal operations by Dec. 16.
Toys are also being collected at the food distribution site, all to be donated to local children.
They are, of course, available to help with insurance claims.
“The difference with us is when we come in to the area that had destruction is we feed,” Townsend said. “We do not advertise our business. We don’t go out seeking clients for at least the first month. We just come in and feed everybody. Once all the dust has kind of settled, the groups that come in to volunteers to feed leave. There’s still a lot of people, especially on Pine Island, that don’t have power. We’re getting to those residents every single day. We’re letting them take what they need for lunch and dinner.
“Anybody that comes up and wants to speak with us about their insurance claim, we’re there to help them. But we’re there first to feed.”
The club, as of now, has granted permission for Insurance Busters to be on site until Jan. 18. They will be away starting Dec. 17 to go home for Christmas, but will be back Jan. 3.
However long they are at the GASC, they will keep serving the area when their time there is done.
“We plan on being here for at least two or three years,” Townsend said.
For additional information, please visit www.InsuranceBusters.net.
The GASC is at 2101 S.W. Pine Island Road in Cape Coral.