The Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Club, one of South Florida’s most active community service organizations, donated complete Thanksgiving Day meals — and more — to 120 inner-city families from six different elementary schools.
Taking place just two days before Thanksgiving, the 2018 giveaway was located again at a “pop-up grocery store” at Phillis Wheatley Elementary, one of the Kiwanis’ partner schools, and featured members of the Kiwanis’ Aktion Club — adults with disabilities — joining in to distribute more than two tons of food.
“This year’s event, because of the addition of our Aktion Club, was especially meaningful,” said Biscayne Bay Kiwanis president Kellie Gayoso. “The Aktion Club, combined with our members, helped these families in need.”
Twenty families from each of six Biscayne Bay Kiwanis’ partner elementary schools — Douglass, Wheatley, Dunbar, Morningside, Hartner and Santa Clara — were selected by the administrators of their respective schools to receive their meals in a grocery store type setting. Families walked into the room, were given two empty Aldi bags and “shopped” around the room with the help of the Kiwanis and Aktion Club members.
In addition to a 10- to 20-pound turkey, each family received a wide variety of foods, including boxes of stuffing, corn meal mix, spaghetti and macaroni & cheese as well as bags of potatoes, carrots and onions. Families also received a pie, cans of corn, green beans, and tuna, Raman Noodles, jars of peanut butter and spaghetti sauce, and a large loaf of bread — donated by Pinecrest Bakery.
“Because many of these families have students on free breakfast and lunch, it was important to give these families more than just the Thanksgiving Day basics,” said Nellie Hernandez, Biscayne Bay Kiwanis president-elect. “These families were selected by the administrators based upon need and providing this wide variety of food was a way of making sure they got good, healthy food over the Thanksgiving break when they wouldn’t be in school.”
Since its founding in 1950, the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Club — an all-volunteer service organization of professional men and women based in Downtown Miami — has improved the lives of disadvantaged children in Overtown, Allapattah, and Midtown Miami through educational programs, field trips, and hands-on service projects.
In addition to the Thanksgiving Giveaway, the 68-year-old Club’s very successful programs include an in-school reading program to help second graders pass the EOY (End of Year) Exam, funding of summer swim lessons, lessons in etiquette, civics, and life skills, and guided tours/field trips to Everglades National Park and South Florida museums.
During the past seven years, the BBKC has awarded more than $200,000 in college scholarships throughout Miami-Dade County, including an annual full, four-year college scholarship to a deserving Booker T. Washington High School senior.
For more information about the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis or to join in one of the club’s community service projects, text or phone 305-814-2225.
