Tailgaters,

 We had a great time out at Camp Hope on Veterans Day.  The weather held off and their outdoor kitchen worked perfect for us.  Am I the only one who did not know that outdoor kitchen was there?  Due to the very generous donations we received for the Camp Hope tailgate, we have enough funds left to order more caps and to look for another event.  Here are the details:

 1.  I didn't count noses but I think we had about 20 volunteers which was just about right.  Thank you to all of you who came out - we needed you.

 2.  Due to the generous donations of Food Town (selling us 12-ounce boneless Choice ribeyes at cost), Goya Foods (beans for all 150 meals and seasonings and oil), the Houston/Galveston Chapter of the Society of American Military Engineers, SAME, (donated all the baked potatoes and sides, and baked and served all of them) and our outstanding donors, we spent about $1,600 for the 150 meals served.  That is $10.67 per meal for a huge steak, baked potato with sides, beans, and pie, cobbler and ice cream for dessert.  That also includes the cost of charcoal, clamshells, and other supplies so I think that is pretty good considering the meal.  Most of that cost was in the steaks (since so much of the other food was donated) and well worth it.

 3.  We had a little more food than we needed, which is what we aim for, but we were happy to serve some seconds and we left the remaining food at Camp Hope for dinner, or a midnight snack, or steak and eggs, etc.  Did you know that leftover baked potatoes make into excellent hash browns?  I was introduced to this a few years ago - add some chopped onion and jalepeno in a skillet...  But I digress.

 4.  We are out of caps completely so Mr. Ray Condron (aka Johnny Tailgate) has arranged for us to be able to get 72 caps at $10.50 each (the cost of everything is up).  The usual minimum order is 144 caps so they are giving us a break.  That is a total cost of $756.  We currently have $2,181 in the bank so that will leave us with  $1,425.  So it is time to think about the next event.

 5.  We don't have anything scheduled yet, but we may be taking a Super Bowl party to a veterans facility here in Houston.  That is Sunday February 11, 2024.  Not to worry, the game kicks off at 5:30 pm that day (it's on the internet so it has to be true) and you don't need to see 8 hours of pre-game anyway.  So we are talking about serving a lunch or a late lunch so you can be home and in your chair with plenty of time to spare before kick off.  And how 'BOUT them Texans??  Looking good!  How cool would it be to have a Texans vs Cowboys Super Bowl?

 More to follow on our next event.  Thank you for supporting TGWAH!  And Happy Holidays to you and yours!

 Ralph.