[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 160 (Tuesday, December 7, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8596-S8597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, November and December bring with them a 
contagious holiday spirit. During a time when many Vermonters are 
struggling to feed their families and heat their homes, community 
members across Vermont are stepping forward to provide a helping hand 
to their neighbors. I am proud that Vermont takes to heart our 
country's great tradition of offering a helping hand to those in need.
  While many of us were at home with our families this Thanksgiving, 
the

[[Page S8597]]

staff and volunteers at the Vermont Boys & Girls Clubs of America were 
busy organizing food donations and cooking meals for the holiday to 
provide hot meals to those who might not otherwise have had a 
Thanksgiving dinner at all. In Rutland alone, the Boys & Girls Club 
cooked enough food to feed 100 people, with many of the ingredients 
donated by local farms. In Montpelier, the Washington County Youth 
Service Bureau and Boys & Girls Clubs staff and volunteers prepared 
turkey dinners to feed homeless Vermonters and financially secure 
residents alike, producing a real community dinner.
  In these tough economic times, community resources are vital to the 
well-being of all Vermonters. As these resources become scarcer, 
donations and volunteers become indispensible. Rutland and Montpelier 
are just a few examples of where Vermonters are volunteering in their 
communities this holiday season. I am proud to call Vermont home and to 
count these volunteers among my friends and neighbors. I commend them 
and all those who donated food for Thanksgiving meals, and I applaud 
all those who voluntarily step forward throughout the year to take the 
time to attend to the support and safety of Vermont's children and 
families.
  I ask unanimous consent that press articles detailing the work of the 
Vermont Boys & Girls Clubs and volunteers be printed in the Record. 
These articles include ``Boys and Girls Club serves local Thanksgiving 
dinner'' published by the Rutland Herald on November 24, 2010, and 
``Thanksgiving Volunteers deliver--with community spirit--in 
Montpelier,'' published by the Times Argus on November 26, 2010.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                [From the Rutland Herald, Nov. 24, 2010]

          Boys and Girls Club Serves Local Thanksgiving Dinner

                           (By Lucia Suarez)

       The Boys and Girls Club of Rutland County hosted the annual 
     Thanksgiving dinner as part of its food program, serving 
     traditional Thanksgiving foods using local ingredients on 
     Tuesday. Chef Ian Vair, food coordinator for the Boys and 
     Girls Club, used mostly local ingredients donated through the 
     Rutland Area Farm and Food Link as part of this year's 
     Localvore Challenge.
       Radical Roots Farm, Boardman Hill Farm in West Rutland, and 
     Clark Farm in Wells donated all the food, he said.
       Vair served roasted turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, 
     stuffing, kale au gratin (in bechamel cream sauce), butternut 
     squash casserole and Dutch apple pie to more than 50 hungry 
     kids and their families. ``We made enough for leftovers, 
     enough food to feed about 100 people.'' Vair said. ``It's two 
     days of work.''
       Using the local ingredients for the dinner is part of the 
     club's Localvore Challenge in collaboration with Sustainable 
     Rutland. The challenge for Thanksgiving is to see how much of 
     people's holiday dinner is from local ingredients, said Jim 
     Sabataso, coordinator for Sustainable Rutland. Local is 
     defined as a 100-mile radius. ``Thanksgiving is so much about 
     the harvest,'' Sabataso said.
       Thirty families have signed up for the Localvore Challenge 
     in Rutland, Sabataso said. Using local foods is key for Vair, 
     who tries to incorporate healthy carbohydrates and fresh 
     vegetables to the meals he prepares at the club every day, he 
     said. ``I try to have fresh veggies in every meal,'' Vair 
     said. ``A lot of these kids are used to canned crap and they 
     try fresh stuff and like it more.''
       Vair said the casserole is traditionally made with sweet 
     potatoes but he used the butternut squash because it was 
     available locally. Twelve-year-old Chyna Cast thought the 
     food was great, her favorite being the garlic mashed 
     potatoes, she said. ``I think it's really good,'' Chyna said. 
     ``Actually, I think it's amazing.''
       The mashed potatoes seemed to be the biggest hit of the 
     night. ``I can have a mountain of potatoes on my plate for 
     Thanksgiving,'' said Brooke Nuckles, director of the Center, 
     an outreach program for 16-to-21-year-old members.
       Through the food, Vair teaches the club's youths, 
     especially those from the ages of 16 to 21, skills about 
     cooking and the importance of healthy eating, he said. For 
     the Thanksgiving dinner, kids from the 6-to-15-year-old group 
     helped chef Vair make the pies and slice the bread for the 
     stuffing. ``It's great to see the kids, with their aprons on 
     five nights a week in the kitchen,'' Nuckles said. ``We are 
     so thankful to the farmers of Vermont and lucky to have 
     access to all the food.''
                                  ____


                 [From the Times Argus, Nov. 26, 2010]

 Thanksgiving Volunteers Deliver--with Community Spirit--in Montpelier

                         (By Peter Hirschfeld)

       Montpelier--For 364 days a year, the Washington County 
     Youth Service Bureau/Boys and Girls Club operates programs 
     that bring stability to the lives of local children and 
     teenagers. But every Thanksgiving, the organization's 40-
     member staff transforms into a full-service catering crew.
       Since 1972, the Youth Service Bureau has cooked up one of 
     the best-attended free dinners in the state on a holiday 
     devoted to food. On Thursday, in the festively decorated 
     basement of the Bethany Church in Montpelier, diners enjoyed 
     a meal made possible by hundreds of hours of volunteer labor.
       ``Look at this place--it's absolutely full,'' said 
     Montpelier City Councilor Jim Sheridan. ``Especially in these 
     times, there's a need for something where the disabled, the 
     disadvantaged, the needy, can come together, socialize and 
     enjoy a good meal. It's just a wonderful thing.''
       Karena LaPan, a receptionist at the Youth Service Bureau, 
     was the organizing force behind this year's meal. More than 
     200 people ate turkey and all the traditional fixings at 
     Bethany Thursday afternoon. The Youth Service Bureau 
     delivered another 290 prepared dinners to residents across 
     the city. ``It's unbelievable how many people are willing to 
     donate time, money or food to making this possible,'' LaPan 
     said ``We all get a lot of enjoyment out of it.''
  Volunteers roasted about 35 turkeys this week to get ready for the 
event. On Wednesday, Youth Service Bureau staff spent the day in the 
Bethany kitchen over steaming kettles of potatoes, squash and other 
Thanksgiving standbys. Kreig Pinkham, executive director of the Youth 
Service Bureau, said the all-inclusive meal draws financially secure 
residents eager to break bread with neighbors, as well as more 
vulnerable people who wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise.
       ``It's a wonderful mix we get here,'' Pinkham said. ``We 
     get the homeless population coming in as well as families who 
     don't want to make a full meal at home. It creates a really 
     rich environment that's satisfying to be a part of.''
       Washington County Senator Bill Doyle had a full turkey leg 
     with lots of gravy on his plate shortly after noon Thursday. 
     It was his 12th consecutive Thanksgiving dinner at Bethany 
     and he said that difficult economic times have made efforts 
     like these even more important. ``You can see the difficult 
     times reflected in the number of people here today and the 
     enthusiasm they have for a meal like this,'' Doyle said. ``It 
     says something about the community, this church and the 
     Washington County Youth Service Bureau that this is available 
     for whoever wants to come enjoy it.''
       Sheridan said events like the one Thursday are part of what 
     make him proud to live in the Capital City.

                          ____________________