• Home
  • Posts
  • Boys & Girls Club Holds 16th Annual Thanksgiving Feast

Boys & Girls Club Holds 16th Annual Thanksgiving Feast

unspecified-14
Over 400 children were treated to a hearty Thanksgiving meal at the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich on Tuesday night. (John Ferris Robben photo)

By Richard Kaufman

The smell of turkey and stuffing filled the halls of the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich on Tuesday evening, as the community came together for the club’s 16th annual Thanksgiving Feast.

Members from town-wide offices and departments, ranging from interim Superintendent Ralph Mayo to Parks and Recreation Director Joe Siciliano, volunteered to dish out the delicious food, which included turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and apple and pumpkin pies. The food was donated by various businesses and prepared by Watson’s Catering.

For club CEO Bobby Walker Jr., the annual feast is one of the biggest highlights of the year. He said he enjoys seeing the volunteers, many of whom are former club kids, come back and help. The feast represents the concept of family, which is what the club is all about.

“This club exists because the community and people take care of it. From the volunteers to the parents to the staff and to the kids themselves, this is one of those days where everyone is together under the same roof, and doing what Thanksgiving is about. Thanksgiving is about family and coming together, and this is our family,” Walker Jr., said.

A sampling of the delicious food from Tuesday’s BGCG Feast. (John Ferris Robben photo)

Overall, 24 turkeys were made, along with 100 pounds of stuffing, over 150 pounds of mashed potatoes, 40 pies and over 600 dinner rolls. Alfredo Maldonado, head chef of Watson’s Catering, said he looks forward to this event.

“Every year we’re happy to help the kids in any way we can, and happy to give back to the town,” he said.

Interim Superintendent of Schools, Ralph Mayo, said the club is very special to him since he grew up in Greenwich.

“It’ always great to give back to the Boys & Girls club because when I was growing up, I was coming here,” he said. “There’s nothing better than coming here and learning how to swim, playing games.”

Greenwich Police Chief James Heavey, another former club kid, makes it a tradition to volunteer at the feast. Last year, he handed out turkey, but on Tuesday he was on cranberry sauce duty. Other officers from the department were volunteering as well.

GPD Chief James Heavey (middle) attended the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich as a kid. (John Ferris Robben photo)

“This is one of those times where it makes you feel good to be working when everyone else is heading off to vacation,” Heavey said. Heavey also noted that being visible and engaged with the youth is very important.

“We make sure we have good positive engagement, and that the kids have a positive experience with an officer,” he said. “Unless you do these types of events, they may never run into an officer except during a tragedy or emergency. They’ll be much more comfortable with recognizing a policeman as a regular person.”

Aliyah Chang, who goes to Central Middle School, took part in her second Thanksgiving Feast at the club. She said the turkey is her favorite, but the event is more than just about the food.

“It’s a lot fun because I get to have a second Thanksgiving with my friends and people I’m close with,” she said.

Club program director, Don Palmer, helps organize the feast every November. He said that for some of the kids, this might be their best meal of the week, and that it’s special to know the Boys & Girls Club is there for them.

“It gives you a great feeling to know that the kids are going home full. That’s what it’s really about,” Palmer said. “It’s spectacular.”

More photos from the BGCG Thanksgiving Feast:

John Ferris Robben photo
John Ferris Robben photo
John Ferris Robben photo
John Ferris Robben photo
John Ferris Robben photo
John Ferris Robben photo
John Ferris Robben photo
John Ferris Robben photo
John Ferris Robben photo
John Ferris Robben photo
John Ferris Robben photo
John Ferris Robben photo

 

Related Posts
Loading...