Todd and Kelly van Ruyskensvelde feed firefighters at the Celista Firehall. Feeding up to 150 firefighters and support staff each day, three times a day has been hard work, but rewarding work. Todd said he’s got the easy job, it’s the firefighters who have the tough job.
“You’ve gotta keep their spirits up, they’re the ones doing all the hard work.” Todd selflessly remarked.
But Todd and Kelly’s hard work is appreciated to the point that firefighters in the area will skip eating somewhere else for the chance to eat from the Ol’ Barn Food Truck. Firefighters' nutritional needs are on par with Olympic athletes. Firefighters burn on average 6,000 to 10,000 calories a day, roughly about 2-3 pounds a day. 15 minutes of heat exposure from a fire can make a firefighter lose half a pound.
And that’s not counting the mental boost getting a hot, high-quality meal can do for a firefighter. Sometimes it’s not the food, it’s just the thought that someone cares that can fill a person up.
And no one goes hungry in any way at Todd and Kelly’s Food Truck.