Serving up hot meals, food boxes and kindness at Thanksgiving
By B.C. Manion
In homes across the region on Thanksgiving, the aroma of roasted turkey will fill the air, as family and friends gather to share a feast and the pleasure of one another’s company.
Scores of volunteers, however, will be devoting a portion of their holiday to serving or delivering hot meals to those who are less fortunate.
So many people signed up to help at the second annual Turkey Gobble Feast at the Dairy Queen in Wesley Chapel that the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel had to ask some volunteers if they could help deliver toys for Christmas, instead.
“It’s amazing how many people want to volunteer,” said Jennifer Cofini, one of the Turkey Gobble’s organizers.
Cofini is customer and community relations manager for Heritage Ford, which is one of the sponsors for the Turkey Gobble.
Dan Byrne, who owns the Dairy Queen, said he had hoped that fewer people would need by this time this year – but many people are struggling because of the tough economy.
The event is aimed at helping not only the unemployed, the underemployed and the homeless, but also shut-ins who have no way of getting a holiday meal, Byrne said.
Last year, the goal was to provide 400 meals. This year, the organizers are being more ambitious. They hope to feed 750.
When they created the event last year, the idea was to have people dine at the Dairy Queen, where they could share the experience with others, Bryne said.
In retrospect, however, organizers decided it would be better to give people a take-out option, so they could enjoy the meals at home, he said. So, this year, diners have a choice. They can enjoy their meal of turkey and all the fixings at Dairy Queen, or take it home.
For those who are unable to go to the Dairy Queen, 27328 SR 54 in Wesley Chapel, there are volunteers who will deliver the meals, Cofini said.
Besides the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, Metropolitan Ministries, Dairy Queen and Heritage Ford, other primary event sponsors are the International Hair Co. and Florida Medical Clinic. There’s also an anonymous donor who has contributed $2,000 for the Thanksgiving feast and another $2,000 for toys for Metropolitan Ministries, Byrne said.
The group has reached out to churches, schools, homeless shelters and others to ask them to spread the word about the Thanksgiving meal.
Others across the region also have given out their time and treasure.
Atonement Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel gave out 200 turkeys to families last week during the church’s weekly food pantry, said Scott Lindner, church pastor. The New Tampa Rotary Club helped distribute the turkeys and other holiday foods, he said.
The church raised money to purchase the turkeys through a special fundraising event. Wolf’s Den, a local restaurant, donated all of the food for the breakfast at the fundraiser.
The church also received $2,000 in donations from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a fraternal organization based in Appleton, Wis. to help pay for the turkeys.
In another act of kindness, Heritage Ford created a collection site in its dealership where people brought in enough donations to fill 50 food boxes in its first Boxes of Hope campaign for Metropolitan Ministries of Pasco County. The dealership, at 28739 SR 54 W., collected 686 pounds of food and donated a turkey for every box it filled.
At Wesley Chapel Nissan, 28519 Wesley Chapel Blvd., the dealership’s owner, Jay Rosario, its general manager, Glenn Gibson, and its internet director, Troy Stevenson, provided $800 in gift cards to help 47 families in need in the community of Wimauma, through efforts led by Myrtle Lake Baptist Church in Land O’ Lakes.
Last week, the WWJD Food Outreach was busy gathering donations for Thanksgiving dinner boxes for 225 families. The goal was to collect enough donations to give each of those families a turkey, as well as other items to create a holiday meal.
The Chancey Road Christian Church also planned to provide meals on Thanksgiving for the elderly, homeless, lonely and elderly. Reservations for those meals were due by Nov. 22.
Efforts are ongoing at Keystone Community Church, 21010 SR 54, in Land O’ Lakes. The church has been collecting food, turkeys and toys for Thanksgiving in its third annual Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Collection Tent.
The church’s youth group collected 1,486 pounds of food in a single day by collecting bags filled by contributors in the community.
The Thanksgiving drive was set to end on Tuesday, Nov. 22. That tent will reopen on Saturday, Dec. 10 and will remain open until Wednesday, Dec. 21, to accept contributions for Christmas.
