The following are just snippets of blog postings by Stater staff and Kent State volunteers in Biloxi. Click here to read more.

The Shed

Imagine a junkyard surrounded by picnic tables, Christmas lights and a down-home atmosphere. That’s The Shed. Through word of mouth, from volunteer to volunteer, this almost mystical restaurant became known to us. After finding out that the place we were staying at was serving meatloaf, a dreaded meal in my opinion, my crew and a few other crews decided that it was time to try the local food flavors of the Gulf Coast.

Three van loads of tired and extremely hungry volunteers trucked the 15 minutes it took to get the magical Shed. I am not lying when I say that The Shed is magical. We were greeted at the door by energetic southern women and a wrinkled, chain-smoking older man. The women told us where to stand in line and what to eat. The older man entertained us with jokes, magic tricks, and balloon animals. Once our food was ordered we made out way out to the picknet tables to wait for our food.

— Sarah McGrath

You must give to receive

It’s Thursday late afternoon and everyone is jumping into the shower or snagging a quick nap before dinner. It’s the last evening we’ll spend at Camp Seashore and the volunteers are getting ready for a long night of hanging out on the beach and conversations.

— Katie Roupe

Patience is key

Good Morning Everyone!! Sorry for the delay in posting, we had a crazy schedule yesterday, and I didn’t get a chance to write anything down. I am absolutely exhausted, and every morning it gets harder and harder to wake up. I have also never eaten so much in my entire life! Dinners are usually very quiet except for the fast paced chewing that is going on all around.

— Katie Cleary

Sleeping like I’m back in boot camp

It’s 5:20 a.m., and I am wide awake. It’s a good thing, like God him/herself intended. I haven’t slept like this since army basic training during the summer of 1998. My body has adapted to the routine so well that the three days of transition feel more like three weeks.

— Marc Joslyn

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