In 2023, Cason United Methodist Church hosted its inaugural Thanksgiving dinner. It brought together more than 100 congregants, the underserved in the community and the Seekers ministry to enjoy donated turkeys and food prepared by the Caring Kitchen. Photo provided
By Janis Fontaine
Pastor David Schmidt is happy to report that Cason United Methodist Church in Delray Beach is holding its Thanksgiving turkey dinner giveaway for the first time since before the pandemic.
The dinners, 22 in all, will go to the forgotten members of the community: the shut-ins and the elderly and families who can’t afford the expense of a turkey plus accoutrements.
Each meal kit contains a fully cooked smoked turkey and side dishes including stuffing, mashed potatoes and green beans prepared by the congregation and community volunteers.
They also throw in a few canned goods for after Thanksgiving. Meals can be picked up or delivered in time for the Nov. 28 holiday.
Pastor David says he and his congregation — the church is also home to the Caring Kitchen — believe the church has a dual purpose: “Feed the soul and the stomach.”
Pastor David stands behind the belief that feeding the hungry is the most fundamental of all God’s mandates. But his actions speak even louder: He smokes the turkeys himself. “It will take me three days to smoke 22 turkeys. My wife gave me a smoker as a gift and I’m putting it to good use.”
(You can even request that your turkey come pre-sliced.)
Everything is donated, he says. The only cost to the church is the packing containers.
The church also hosts a communal dinner that is open to the community. “For people who have no family here, but who like to be with people, it helps take care of the loneliness factor,” Pastor David said.
“Everybody loves Thanksgiving. It’s a reflection of love and civility.”
Shona Castillo, director of the Caring Kitchen, agrees. She says some programs that stalled during the pandemic never came back online, so it’s harder for homeless and food insecure people to find food.
The Caring Kitchen, which is part of CROS Ministries, is housed at Cason and is back to serving meals five days a week, “indoors in air-conditioning,” Castillo said.
For three years, most meals were “take-away” or bag lunches that people ate while sitting on the ground, “but I put my foot down,” Castillo said, so now the Caring Kitchen is probably the only place in Delray serving free congregant meals on a regular basis.
“Working together is our secret sauce,” Castillo said. “Anyone can serve food. We serve love.”
Boca Helping Hands Thanksgiving Box Brigade
Some of our neighbors are struggling to put food on the table. Splurging on a turkey — even though turkey is a great value — isn’t affordable. If you’re feeling especially thankful this year, consider filling a box for a family that isn’t doing as well.
The Boca Helping Hands Thanksgiving Box Brigade program provides its clients with a turkey and a box filled with the ingredients needed to prepare a holiday meal. BHH, a nonprofit that provides food, job training, access to health care and financial assistance to individuals and families to improve their quality of life and build financial stability, hopes to give away 3,800 boxes.
Here’s what you could do — and this is a fun project to teach kids about the cost of food:
Fill a box using the shopping list provided at www.bocahelpinghands.org/box and drop it off at the organization's main facility at 1500 NW First Court, Boca Raton, on or before Nov. 18.
Take photos of your shopping trip and packing your box and tag @BocaHelpingHands on social media to share your Thanksgiving Box Brigade photos with the community.
If you don’t have time to shop, you can donate $29.72 to cover the cost of a box.
Contact Suzan@BocaHelpingHands.org with questions or call 561-417-0913.
Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423@outlook.com.
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