When Thanksgiving arrived this year, 1,800 South Florida residents had something extra to be thankful for: the Las Olas Chabad Jewish center and the Sheriff Advisory Council’s Third Annual Turkey Distribution.
With food costs and other household expenses continuing to rise, many families did not know how they would pull together the traditional Thanksgiving dinner that they look forward to each year. The drive, which was expanded this year to include not only turkeys but all of the vegetables one would need to whip up a real Thanksgiving feast, was an answer to their prayers.
“I wasn’t planning to have a full Thanksgiving meal,” said Ron Meyer, a single dad living in Hollywood, whose car was among hundreds in line that Sunday morning. “The prices of turkeys have gone up so much, and we couldn’t afford it. We are so thankful to be able to bring the family together this year.”
The food for the drive was generously donated by DxWeb, WeatherTech, Vaughan Sports Academy, and Jesse Maurer. Several community leaders came together to bring this initiative to those who could benefit most, and who often feel forgotten during the holiday season.
“We didn’t just provide turkeys for our community,” said John Diprato, who has been participating in this initiative since its inception three years ago. “We gave turkeys to The James Club, which provides sober living facilities for those struggling with drug and alcohol dependency, to the Pompano Fire Department, and to four senior living facilities whose residents don’t always have family to celebrate with.”
Pastor Bill Thompson, who connected Rabbi Chaim of the Las Olas Chabad Jewish Center with families in his community, was moved by the generosity on display.
“My heart was filled with gratitude as we managed to make Thanksgiving special for close to 100 families,” said Pastor Thompson, who participated in the drive for the first time. “The impact of the pandemic still lingers and times like these provide gentle reminders of the importance of giving and caring for one another. We are blessed to be a blessing!”
Ray Rapaglia, the founder of The James Club, expressed similar delight at seeing the positive effect the drive had on those living in the 16 sober living locations around Broward County. “Many of the men here come with just the shirts on their backs. It warmed my heart to know that they were gifted the feeling of family this holiday. I am so grateful to Rabbi Chaim for his acknowledgment of our brotherhood, and that we were able to feed everyone across all of our locations on Thanksgiving Day! The Rabbi is one of my heroes.”
