Every Wednesday afternoon, a line of more than 100 people forms on the sidewalk beside Armory Park in Tucson, waiting for a hot, home‑cooked meal. The food comes from a modest home kitchen operated by Ash Fortune, a longtime volunteer and professional cook who has spent the past two years preparing the weekly distribution for Community Care Tucson.
From pantry to plate
Fortune begins her day by checking a handwritten shopping list. “I think three pounds of butter is good, or maybe four,” she jokes, noting that butter often becomes the most expensive ingredient. She then drives to Restaurant Depot, where she purchases roughly 40 pounds of frozen chicken, several boxes of frozen green beans, and the butter she needs. The total cost of the ingredients—about $265—is covered by Fortune’s own funds, supplemented by her partner’s steady income.
Other volunteers contribute additional staples: another household prepares about 50 pounds of potatoes, rice and beans, while a separate group assembles roughly 200 peanut‑butter‑and‑jelly sandwiches each week. Fortune’s kitchen, a 1920s‑era space equipped with modern appliances, becomes a bustling hub as she seasons three trays of chicken with Mexican oregano, black pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic and vegetable salt, then bakes the meat for an hour.
Side dishes and logistics
While the chicken roasts, Fortune boils green beans in large metal vats, then creates a garlic‑butter sauce using the rendered chicken fat. She also prepares a five‑gallon batch of lemonade, mixing concentrate, water, sugar, and a tablespoon of salt. To keep the food at a safe temperature, she has fashioned a makeshift steam table beside the boiling beans.
When the chicken is done, Fortune shreds it, coats it in barbecue sauce, and moves the trays to the distribution line. By 7 p.m., volunteers have set up stations for hot chocolate, coffee, wound care, and pet care. The line stretches from trunks and back seats, with people carrying backpacks, carts, and dogs.
Community impact
Fortune says the work is both a privilege and a responsibility. “It feels important to give back, to be aware of how lucky and privileged I am to not be worried about my next meal,” she explains. She adds that the greatest disappointment is when the food runs short. “It’s just awful to not have enough. It feels really bad,” she says.
At the end of the evening, Fortune shares a photo of her kitchen, proud that everyone who came away fed. Her effort exemplifies the grassroots spirit of Tucson’s mutual‑aid network, where a handful of volunteers and small home kitchens provide food, clothing and occasional medical care to the city’s unhoused neighbors.
Original reporting: Arizona Luminaria — read the source article.
