When an American Airlines plane collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River on Jan. 29 – killing all 67 of the passengers and crew involved — first responders from the District, Maryland and Virginia rushed to the scene to assess the accident and clean up the damage.
District firefighter Jonathan Tate also rushed to the banks of the river but for a different purpose.
Tate, a Ward 8 resident who has worked for the District’s firefighting and emergency medical service unit for 12 years, was on the scene for his nonprofit “Food on the Stove.”
“We wanted to be there to provide nourishment for the first responders and the divers,” said Tate to The Informer on Feb. 13. “We set out a tent so that they could have coffee and snacks as they attempted to recover bodies and clean up debris from the accident.”
Tate’s work at the collision site continues the mission of his nonprofit, which he said he started seven years ago on the basis of the observation that first responders often do hard work but tend to have bad nutritional habits.
He called the nonprofit “Food on the Stove” because firefighters handle threats caused by food left on stoves — the leading cause of U.S. home fires and fire injuries, as well as the third leading cause of fire deaths.
First Responders and Mental Health
Tate, 42, has focused on the mental health of first responders.
“A healthy body coincides with a healthy mind,” he said.
According to a Psychiatric Times study examining firefighters, police officers and EMS professionals published in September 2022, 30% of first responders are more likely to develop behavioral health conditions, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in comparison to 20% of the general population.
In a study regarding suicidality, firefighters were reported to have higher attempt and ideation rates than the general population.
The supplement added that in law enforcement, the estimates suggest between 125 and 300 police officers commit suicide every year.
“First responders see traumatic events every day,” Tate said. “We decided to take a proactive approach in dealing with the stress and trauma by dealing with mental health challenges head-on.”
Food for Thought Thursdays
Food on the Stove has established a special program for the month of February, where Tate serves first responders, primarily District firefighters and police officers, a lunch at the Capital Turnaround located in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Ward 8 in Southeast every Thursday.
In addition to meals offered, Tate provides food for the soul. During last Thursday’s event, there were booths sponsored by nonprofits that specialize in mental health services such as CARE and Wise Choice Counseling.
A Wise Choice Counseling professional was available for consultation while the CARE organization had pamphlets and literature at its booth.
At the venue are five large tables with six chairs surrounding it for first responders who want to eat their food onsite. On Feb. 13, the food, provided by Ama’s Catering Experience, consisted of yellow rice, salmon, baked chicken, celery with a dessert and beverages.
Ama Hammah, the owner of Ama’s Catering Experience, said she has worked with Tate for a few years and finds the effort to be rewarding.
“I like what he is doing for first responders,” Hammah, 43, said. “It is important that first responders eat good, healthy, nutritious meals of meat, seafood, starch and vegetables.”
One of the first responders to stop by to grab a meal was D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly, who sat around a table with fellow firefighters and chatted amicably while consuming the meal.
Donnelly said he appreciates what Tate is doing.
“Our department has just been through a lot of trauma,” said Donnelly, 58. “Anything anyone can do to mitigate it is great. It is good to see people get together to share a meal. That is part of the healing process.”
Tate said he looks forward to taking his nonprofit to another level.
“I want Food on the Stove to be a national organization,” he said. “I want to be able to reach out to and help first responders across the country. I’d like to use old unused firehouses for our purposes to help first responders get fed and live healthier lifestyles.”
