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We are excited and honored to feature one of our newest WWIA event offerings in this month's spotlight, The Inaugural MN Caregiver's Culinary Event. Caregivers are often the unseen partners who provide support and also share in the lifelong recovery process. They play a vitally important role in the healing and restoration of our combat-wounded veterans both in mind and body. This event allows us to honor and recognize caregivers for the work they do and equip them with various culinary skills to aid in the recovery efforts of their loved ones. If you are a caregiver of one of our Heroes and would be interested in participating in a future WWIA Caregiver's Culinary Event, please email us at info@wwiaf.org and let us know. Thank you!
This culinary event was proudly hosted by Karen McDaniel, Moira Tidball, and Shelley Cohen. We asked them what was one of the biggest benefits they received from hosting this event?
Karen McDaniel- "I have always believed that the impact of a Purple Heart Hero’s injuries affect the entire family. However, not until I experienced a weekend with spouses of Heroes did I fully understand the importance of bringing them together to share their experiences. The women I had the privilege of hosting gave me insight into their side of the journey of living with a Hero. I saw how readily and easily they connected with one another through the bond of common experience. The biggest benefit I received from hosting this event was witnessing the camaraderie that blossomed over the course of a weekend between women who showed up as complete strangers and left as friends. It was an amazing weekend that I will never forget."
Moira Tidball- "This weekend was a perfect recipe of sharing, laughter, and learning for all involved. I was honored to share culinary skills for preparing wild game and fish with these fabulous military spouses, and I hope the benefits will extend to their home kitchens, enhancing the joy of hunting and fishing (and the food) provided by WWIA events.”
Shelley Cohen- "This event allowed me to be witness to the caregivers' lifelong enduring impact of their loved one's injuries and the care involved surrounding those. This event reconfirmed the importance that the caregivers of our Heroes have not been forgotten."
If you could express to other caregiver's the impact this culinary event had on you, what would you say?
Temperance W., the wife of one of our Purple Heart Heroes recently attended this event and wrote a beautifully descriptive blog post describing her experience. She was kind enough to allow us to share her impressions. Here is what she had to say:
This past weekend, I attended a spouse’s event with Wounded Warriors in Action, a group serving our Purple Heart veterans. As some may know, National Purple Heart Day is today, August 7. As most of you know, my husband is a Purple Heart veteran. For those that might not know, that means he was wounded in combat. In his case, his vehicle was hit by an IED (a couple of times) while deployed to Iraq, resulting in cervical spinal injuries, which later required a cervical fusion. Further, he experienced many symptoms of mild TBI (traumatic brain injury) from the blast, mostly related to short-term memory and concentration. However, this post isn’t really about his injuries. Instead, it is about our experiences with an organization, Wounded Warriors in Action (WWIA).
First, a little background on WWIA: “The Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation Inc. (WWIA) serves our nation’s combat-wounded Purple Heart recipients by providing world-class outdoor sporting activities as a means to recognize and honor their sacrifice, encourage independence and connections with communities, and promote healing and wellness through camaraderie and a shared passion for the outdoors.” Their events range from hunting/fishing trips for warriors to couple’s events where warriors hunt while spouses can choose to hunt alongside them or attend other events such as getting pampered at the spa, to their most recent addition, a caregiver’s culinary event where spouses learn to prepare and cook wild game and fish.
Our initial involvement with WWIA was a couple’s upland bird hunt in upstate NY. Then, most recently, I received a call inviting me to attend a spouse’s culinary event in Minnesota. They flew me up from Savannah to Minneapolis/St. Paul on Friday morning and I returned home yesterday evening. The event was amazing, restorative, full of laughs, and I learned so much. You will have to forgive me, as I am not sure I will be able to find the words to fully explain what this trip and this organization means to me.
Friday morning, I flew up to Minneapolis and was met at the airport by one of the hosts, Karen, and our chef extraordinaire, Mo. We picked up one of the other spouses, Sarah, and headed back to Karen’s house, where we met the other spouse, Nichole, and our other host, Shelley. Did you catch that? We went back to Karen’s house. Karen, who is not a military spouse, but is involved with WWIA, opened her home to virtual strangers for a long weekend. She was an amazing and gracious host and I immediately felt completely at ease and welcomed.
The weekend consisted of a mix of learning to cook wild game and fish and other events, including brunch at the amazing “esker grove” and a trip to the Minnesota Arboretum. We learned to filet fish, prepare and cook venison and pheasant in multiple ways. Best of all, we got to eat the food we cooked! YAY! Chef Mo taught all of us so much, a lot of tips and tricks we will be able to use, not just for wild game, but also for our everyday cooking. I feel like I definitely walked away much more comfortable and daring in preparing wild game and ensuring there is as little waste as possible.
However, if I am being honest, the true magic in the event is in the comradery. The cooking served as a way to bring us together. As we prepared and cooked our food, we found ourselves sharing our stories. As spouses of wounded warriors, we often share our spouse’s story. It is centered around their experiences. However, I found that when surrounded by other spouses and in an environment where we all felt supported, it became less about our spouse’s experiences/injuries, and more about our own. We shared the scary parts, the hard ones, the stresses, the challenges, and the triumphs. There were some tears and oh my goodness did we laugh. I mean that deep belly laughs, the kind that leaves you bent over and out of breath. I don’t know how to explain it, but these events are magic in a way. You spend a few days together with your hosts and other attendees and leave bonded through shared experience, heartache, and joy. You open up in ways you would never expect with virtual strangers. I attended this WWIA event with people I had never even met and left with a very special bond with these ladies, spouses and hosts alike. It was amazing. I am so thankful for the experience, for all the hard work and dedication that went into making the event happen, and for the many spouses like the ones I met this weekend, who stand behind their Wounded Warrior, pushing them on, helping them, supporting them, loving them, and giving them a swift kick in the rear when needed. I love you ladies. Thanks to each of you for an unforgettable and uplifting weekend.
Want a behind the scenes look at the Inaugural MN Caregivers Culinary Event? Click here to view an amazing Flip Book with exclusive pictures and details from the event.
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