[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.
____________________