Omaha North Corps kitchen makes history by sending disaster-relief meals to western Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb.— There are some things that go a long way toward serving beyond the local community.

That’s the case for new kitchen at The Salvation Army Omaha North Corps at 24th and Manderson streets.  The ongoing renovation-and-expansion project there included the building of a brand-new professional kitchen, making the North Corps team capable of preparing meals for Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) personnel to distribute to disaster survivors and first responders -- both in and beyond the metro area. 

"I found out the North Corps kitchen was going to be an EDS [kitchen] on my first day being hired at Salvation Army," said Chef Kevin Newlin, who runs the new kitchen.

He and his staff have already answered the call in that role.  They recently prepared 800 meals for EDS operations in support of first responders fighting the March 2026 wildfires in west-central Nebraska.

Western Division EDS director Maria Moreno talked about the demand for food during their first trip to the area.

"In North Platte, we were serving approximately 400 firefighters a day—200 meals at breakfast, 200 at dinner," she said.

Whenever EDS deploys, one of its missions is to provide food and hydration to first responders and disaster survivors – in the wake of wildfires, tornadoes, blizzards and floods.

Moreno said the meals Newlin’s kitchen made for the recent deployment were grab-and-go, which was effective since first responders did not have much time to take breaks.

"They were grateful for us to provide them that hot meal," she said.

Newlin believes the new North Corps kitchen is equipped with enough space and resources to accomplish anything. 

"As long as we had sufficient volunteers, I feel like we could do 3,000 meals out of the EDS kitchen on a daily basis,” he said.

"We can do anything from a regular three-course meal, which is like entree-starch-vegetable, or a hand-held sandwich, burrito, and everything in between."

EDS’s canteens—large vehicles similar to vans and campers—are versatile enough to pull up right to the North Corps’ back door for staff to quickly load meals onto.

"We have rolling racks full of food ready for them,” Newlin said.  “We load their Cambros, which are warming units, and they're on their way.  It usually takes anywhere from seven to 10 minutes to get them fully loaded."

Whether they are hot or cold meals, Moreno said they can safely last for hours while EDS transports them.

She said EDS is blessed to have the revamped North Corps kitchen as a resource.

"We don't have to rely on a company that maybe we can't get ahold of at 3 o'clock in the morning, and I need to have food ready by 6.  I can easily reach out to Chef Kevin and say, 'Hey, this is what's going to happen.'  And I know he's going to deliver."