KAILUA-KONA — The Boys and Girls Club of the Big Island took time to assist the Salvation Army this past weekend, helping to cook 72 Thanksgiving Day turkeys that are being served as the main dish for up to 400 hundred Hawaii Island kupuna and homeless today.
“We heard that the Salvation Army was struggling to find a business or someone that had access to a large scale commercial grade kitchen that could get the seventy plus turkeys cooked in the short timeframe before Thanksgiving,” Chad Cabral, Boys &Girls Club of the Big Island CEO. “We volunteered our time and offered our kitchen to assist.”
The cooking started at 5 a.m. that morning and went steady throughout the night. All 72 turkeys were completed assuring that the annual Salvation Army Thanksgiving meal could be once again held at various locations across the island.
Several Boys &Girls Club youth volunteered and spent their Saturday helping with the prep work, cooking, and post kitchen cleaning required.
“This was a good opportunity for Hawaii Island community nonprofits to come together and support a pono cause and great opportunity for our youth members to dedicate their weekend, give back to the community, and learn hands-on about service and volunteerism,” Cabral said. “We were happy to assist and be a part of something so very much special and needed, as the holidays are now here.”
The Boys &Girls Club kitchen facilities were built in 2015 through the funding support of the County of Hawaii, Office of Housing and Community Development. A Community Development Block Grant allowed the nonprofit organization to build a new commercial grade kitchen, which ultimately aided in the development of an islandwide daily nutritional supplementation program that supports over 1,000 income-challenged youth annually.
It is the Boys &Girls Club of the Big Island’s 2020 goal to build the capacity needed to expand the production and transportation of full hot evening meals for youth that are based out in Puna (Keaau, Pahoa), Ka’u (Pahala, Ocean-View) and Kona (Kealakehe and Ulu Wini).
Info or donate: 961-5536.