***Check this space for updates and volunteer instructions.  See highlighted items below***

Tailgaters,

Here are some updates and remaining needs:

1. We just found out that the Boy Scout Troop that was going to present colors will be unable to attend. Does anyone have any ideas on a color guard that could present colors at 11:30 am this Saturday? Help!

2. There is a change on the volunteer parking. Lots B and C are under construction so here are the new directions from the VA: They said they can move your groups over to lot D for parking, which is just a little further behind C. You would still come in entrance 70 and take a left between lot S & F1. Those arms will be up and you can swing around to park in D.

3. Cookers – the VA can provide fire extinguishers for your cooking stations. And we will start plating food to send into the hospital at 10:30 am. Half of your meals are going inside so that means 200 fish fry, 150 steaks, 100 brisket and sausage, and 125 chicken fajita meals will be going into the hospital. We are not planning to send any hamburgers or hot dogs inside. It will work best if you can have a steady stream of meals ready over the course of the time from 10:30 to 11:15 or a little later. Last year the meal flow was uneven and we had some meals sitting waiting and getting cold while waiting on other meals to be ready. We hope to finish the transport of food into the hospital by 11:30 and then have our announcements.

4. Volunteers – please be on-site around 9:30 am this Saturday – Wear your favorite team gear and get your TGWAH cap when you sign in at the volunteer desk! Starting at 10:30 all volunteer efforts will be focused on plating and transporting half of the meals into the hospital. So starting at 10:30 and going till about 11:30 we need all volunteers working on plating, marking, and transporting food from the cooking stations to the staging area which will be in the parking lot and close to the hospital building. From there other volunteers, under VA staff supervision, will send the meals into the main hospital building. So that means that there will be no outside food service until after the announcements at 11:30 (if we are on schedule).

5. Luby’s is donating pies to us! We won’t be sending any desserts into the hospital because a large number of the patients are diabetic. There will be pies outside. Thank you Luby’s for supporting us again!

6. Dan Wingerson has volunteered to be our gopher – he may need help hauling water bottles from a nearby store. We will watch our supply and see how it goes. Dan also manages the website and is our TGWAH accountant.

7. If Weather Underground and the local stations are right, this Saturday will be a spectacular fall day. Morning temperature of 61^ is predicted and a cloudless sky! Keep thinking good weather!

8. Saturday October 4th has been proclaimed as Tailgate with a Hero Day in the City of Houston! I will send a picture of the proclamation by separate email shortly. My apologies to any volunteer groups not named on the proclamation but we requested it many weeks ago from the City and had to list the groups we knew would be involved at the time.