When the floodwaters began to lap at his hip, Rahmell Ortiz's stubbornness finally buckled. He ran for his life, unsure of where he was going, or what had become of the other 6350 residents of Brooklyn's Red Hook Houses. Ortiz knew only that the Superstorm Sandy was showing no signs of mercy, and that his friend Horace Jackson, who had been banging at his door, wasn't taking no for an answer.

11 days, and a terrifying chest-high wade later, the two men stood in line for a free twice-daily meal dished out by volunteer-manned tables and trucks stationed outside the Calvary Baptist Church of Red Hook. It was by both men's accounts, the highlight of the day for local residents, many of whom still were living without power, heat or any idea when either might return, due to extensive saltwater damage in the basements of the 33 buildings that make up Brooklyn's largest public housing development.
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Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up.

Wow. It’s just astonishing and heartwarming and every positive adjective I can think of to see how hard people everywhere are working to help victims of Superstorm Sandy. There’s still so much that needs to be done, such a great need for items like batteries, baby supplies, tools - the list goes on.
 
Keep your eyes open for more ways to help, from eating out at places that donate to support Sandy victims to drop-offs for coats and supplies now that it’s starting to snow here in the Northeast. But let’s take one minute for a by-the-numbers look at several great efforts by people in the food industry to help others who still badly need it. 
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Dough it up big time! November 12 is National Pizza with Everything Day!

What better way to start a week than by thinking about pizza? And today isn’t just any ordinary pizza day – it’s pizza with EVERYTHING day.
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Pssst! Got a sec to chat?

We are utterly thrilled when readers want to hang out and talk – whether it's amongst themselves or in response to pieces we've posted. We want Eatocracy to be a cozy, spirited online home for those who find their way here.
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