KAILUA-KONA — Those in search of a holiday meal and a little fellowship won’t have to look far this Thanksgiving week.
KAILUA-KONA — Those in search of a holiday meal and a little fellowship won’t have to look far this Thanksgiving week.
The first opportunity will be at the 24th Annual Meet and Eat Thanksgiving Dinner, which is put on by The Kona Task Force on Feeding the Hungry and will be held at the Kealakehe Intermediate School Cafeteria from 5:15-7 p.m. Wednesday. The school is located on Onipaa Street.
The task force, which provides a weekly meal at the school from 6-7 p.m. every Wednesday, has dished out 225,000 meals in total over the last 25 years. Ardie Ikeda, who works with the group, said he expects around 400 people to partake on Thanksgiving Eve.
“Originally, the program was targeted for single-parent families. Through the years, it still holds that this is a key area we’re looking at and making sure that no one goes hungry,” Ikeda said. “We feed them nutritionally with the food, but we also try to (provide) them with the social side and everything else.”
This year’s Meet and Eat dinner is special among its predecessors, as it will take time to honor departed members of the task force, some of whom were lost this year.
The dinner is dedicated to Ken and Margaret Clewett, Ben and Elaine Watai, Carol Watai, Lela Candelara, Dr. Cliff Kopp and Steve Grace. Members of their families as well as the community will say a few words in remembrance of all their work serving the needy.
“All these people have put in so much time every week helping the program be successful,” Ikeda said. “So I felt that it was the right time to pay tribute to them for the time they spent helping the organization.”
All are welcome, and the task force requests those who attend bring canned goods or bags of rice for donation to The Food Basket, if they are able.
The sound of music
After putting away a holiday feast, members of the community are invited to enjoy the 15th annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Eve Worship Concert.
The concert is scheduled for Wednesday night from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at St. Michael’s Catholic Church on Alii Drive and will feature musical stylings from choirs or individual singers from 10 congregations across Kona, which range in religious ideology from Catholicism to Hinduism.
Each church will perform two songs, and Reverend Chuck Frumin of the Kona Family Church, who serves as the event organizer, said the music is as diverse as the faith-based organizations that participate in the concert.
“I think it’s important for people from different faiths to come together. It’s important to recognize each faith, each church,” Frumin said. “Even though there are differences, there are also similarities. And not only does it bring understanding between faiths, but it brings understanding between people. The more unity we can have, even in our own community, it could help bring world peace.”
The concert is free and open to the public. Frumin said the church’s capacity is 500 people and he expects 250-300 attendees. Those who attend are asked to bring canned food or monetary donations, if possible. All donations will be passed along to The Food Basket.
Pull up a seat
Anyone who misses the Meet and Eat Wednesday — or is simply hungry for seconds of turkey and stuffing — is invited to attend a free holiday meal at Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grill on Kuakini Highway. Dinner will be served from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.
This is the 9th year Jackie Rey’s has offered the dinner while working as a team with the Salvation Army, which has long been feeding people on Hawaii Island for the holidays.
Included in the community-based, volunteer-powered effort that will see upwards of 90 turkeys and 900 pounds of produce delivered to the restaurant’s kitchen over the next two days is a Salvation Army delivery service of holiday meals to those unable to physically attend dinner at the restaurant.
Anna Schmitt, a dining room manager at Jackie Rey’s, said last year 450 meals were delivered “right off the bat,” with a total of between 800 and 900 meals being served in some form.
Some members of the restaurant staff participate on Thanksgiving Day in their traditional roles, while some others choose to volunteer. Schmitt said they try to use as many volunteers as possible, as there are typically more people who want to help than there are tasks to be completed.
She added that the spirit of togetherness demonstrated throughout her time as a participant in the Thanksgiving dinner is indicative of the fact that while food is desired and needed, it’s in many ways secondary to the need for human compassion and connection.
“I spoke with a woman last year, and she said she’s been alone for seven years with no one to be around for Thanksgiving,” Schmitt said. “I can’t imagine not having some close people in your life, so for a lot of people it’s not just about the meal, but I think it’s more about the camaraderie and just being with others — just getting to connect.”