Prineville, Ore. — As wildland fire season ramps up across Central Oregon, a familiar Prineville business is once again stepping in to help make sure firefighters on the line are fed.
The Sandwich Factory in Prineville has again been preparing meals for wildland firefighters, a role the restaurant has filled for more than a decade during the region’s fire seasons, owner Celena Pentrack told the Prineville Review.
“We get phone calls from Central Oregon Dispatch, and we are basically this time of year prepared to serve anywhere from 50 to 300 firefighters,” Pentrack said.
On Wednesday, the restaurant was busy assembling breakfast and lunch orders for firefighters the following day. Pentrack said the operation often requires keeping extra stock on hand and, when supplies run short, making additional runs to Bend to keep up with demand.
“We’ve actually been feeding the firefighters here out of this restaurant for the last 11 years,” she said. “Last year was really quiet, but yes, we are always available to feed them when they make the call.”
The meals go beyond a simple sandwich. Pentrack said firefighters often receive hot breakfasts prepared early in the morning, typically including sausage, egg and bagel sandwiches, along with yogurt, juice and pastries. Lunches are packed with two sandwiches and a variety of sides, including hard-boiled eggs, vegetables and fruit.
Just as important, she said, is making sure firefighters with specific dietary needs are not left out.
“We also cater to the dietary needs, so gluten-free, vegetarian,” Pentrack said. “Last year we had some people that were paleo and vegan, and those can be difficult, and I took it upon myself to really work hard to feed them well.”
That extra effort, she said, drew positive feedback from firefighters who said it was the first time they had been given meals that properly fit their dietary needs while on assignment.
For Pentrack, the work is about more than food. It is a way to support firefighters spending long days in the summer heat protecting communities, often while away from their own families.
“One of the main reasons why we do it is for the firefighters,” she said. “We are very appreciative of them. It means a lot to us to be able to be involved in this for the community.”
Pentrack said the effort also would not happen without the support of her staff, many of whom volunteer extra hours — sometimes on their days off — to help meet the demand.
“I can put a call out, and I have as many people here as I need,” she said. “The people that are helping me today have already worked eight hours, and they’re staying and helping. Then we’ll be back here at 2 o’clock in the morning to do all of the breakfast and finish these bags to get them out the door by 5.”
Laura Jokinen, a manager at the Sandwich Factory, said this is her first year helping with the fire lunches and breakfasts, but she quickly saw how much the owners and staff pour into the effort.
“I think it’s pretty cool that they go above and beyond for something like that,” Jokinen said. “I’ve worked a lot of different food service jobs, and as far as owners go, they are the absolute best people that I’ve ever worked for.”
Jokinen said helping with the meals has also been a reminder of how many moving pieces it takes to support a community during fire season.
“It just makes me think that the world is bigger than me,” she said.
For Pentrack, the restaurant’s support for firefighters is ultimately a small but meaningful gesture of gratitude.
“As a local business owner, it’s really important to us to support those that support our community,” she said. “Doing these fire lunches and the dinners and the breakfasts is just a very small way to support and give back to those that are out there on the line away from their families, protecting our community, and a good meal is just a very small way to say thank you.”
Note: This story was updated following initial publication to correct Pentrack’s first name spelling. We regret the error.
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Mr. Alderman is an investigative journalist specializing in government transparency, non-profit accountability, consumer protection, and is a subject matter expert on Oregon’s public records and meetings laws. As a former U.S. Army Military Police Officer, he brings a disciplined investigative approach to his reporting that has frequently exposed ethics violations, financial mismanagement, and transparency failures by public officials and agencies.
