Retired Army veteran turns her bakery into a rescue kitchen to help stranded truckers, motorists in Mississippi.

By Reagan Payne

Evelyn Fletcher was driving back from the Home Depot Sunday night after picking up a 6-volt battery for her flood light when she noticed a line of trucks stranded on the road near the Clinton exit of Interstate 20 in Mississippi for as long as the eye could see.

The winter storm that raged across the country had finally reached the South and socked everyone in. No one could make a move and given the South's limited inexperience dealing with such elements probably weren't for a couple days.

She immediately thought of her truck-driving family and her own time behind the wheel in the Army. Her instinct to serve kicked in.

Given her background feeding the homeless by the hundreds every weekend, Fletcher is well prepared to provide these stranded drivers with hot home-cooked meals. As the owner of Uniquely Sweet Tweets, a bakery service that offers a variety of treats, she had the kitchen space. It was a just a matter of working the logistics.

Receiving an outpouring of support from truckers, veterans and laymen near and far, Fletcher has delivered just under 200 plates to those stranded on the interstate and those able to make it to nearby hotels.

“The first day we delivered 65 plates of smoked pork chops,” she said. “Then that night I got a call that there were people stranded that didn't have anything to eat. So I took about 15 plates to the hotel that night.

"Yesterday, we served 40 plates of steamed shrimp, corn and sausage. T’Beaux’s (another local restaurant) had some shrimp to donate. So we delivered 48 plates and 35 pints of seafood gumbo. Last night I did 26 plates of smoked ham and smoked chicken.

“I asked one trucker if he wanted dinner and he said he still had enough shrimp and stuff leftover from lunch because we put that much in the plate!”

Fletcher knew it would take an army to distribute that many meals so she rallied the troops. There were plenty of volunteers and given her background driving in the service, she was sure to choose the ones best fit for the job.

“Strategically, logistically in my head, you know, Army planning, I can't have all these people out on the road trying to deliver food," she said. "I chose a military vet that lived in Alaska. Another driver is the captain of a ship here; he’s Coast Guard. So they came and picked up the first day.

“One of the lieutenants for the police department had a jeep, he came to pick up for them. So we were even able to serve the first responders.”

Moving around a lot with the military, Fletcher finally decided to retire in Mississippi about 12 years ago. She moved to be close to her family and found a wonderful community to serve. 

It was there she founded Uniquely Sweet Treats, offering custom cakes, cookies, chocolate-covered strawberries, and much more. She is no stranger to cooking for the masses.

When feeding the homeless, Fletcher goes into the inner city and serves more than 100 people at a time.

"There's not a lot of people that get out here to do stuff in bad weather," she said. "I lived in Germany. In Korea. In the Midwest. I lived in Kansas, Seattle, and there's been some brutal weather in those places. So being a veteran, I know how to bundle up and get out and use my little forest floor. I let it go and do what needs to be done."

The chance of snow in her area now is 100 percent, so she is excited to be back at it for the third day in a row. Today, she is serving up turkey a la king with buttered noodles. She boiled the turkey off the bone for a day and a half and the stew will be served with a homemade biscuit on the side.

"I love to cook. And I know it's the right thing to do, especially when it's being God-led," said Fletcher. "I just retired three months ago from the military, and I've taken care of people (soldiers). It is all I know to do. Be safe out there and keep on."

Reagan Payne is a staff writer at Wright Media. She can be reached at rpayne@wrightmediacorp.com