Community News

Kiwanis, students celebrate 36th annual Thanksgiving dinner

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Chatty, festive and hungry senior citizens filled the rows of tables at the East Meadow High School’s cafeteria as they prepared to celebrate the Kiwanis Club of East Meadow’s 36th annual Senior Citizens Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 20.
The smell of freshly cut turkey and warm bread rolls poured from the kitchen as students from the East Meadow School District, along with Kiwanis Club members, carried out plates to be devoured at the tables.

Kiwanis Club of East Meadow President Ross Schiller said the event was a success due to the collaboration between the students, Kiwanis members, chefs and faculty at the East Meadow High School. Schiller said roughly 60 Kiwanians volunteered to cook and prepare the meals. Students from the East Meadow and W.T. Clarke High School Key Clubs, Bowling Green K-Kids, Meadowbrook K-Kids, W.T. Clarke Builder’s Club, Woodland Builder’s Club and East Meadow High Business Honors Society volunteered their time to serve more than 50 hungry seniors.

“It was about working hard to give back,” Schiller said. “It’s a special event because the kids walk away with a great sense of community service and a lot of them make connections with our seniors. A lot of these seniors don’t really have many people to talk to and it’s a rewarding experience for both student and senior to really make a special connection and to just laugh together.”

Schiller said East Meadow High School Principal Richard Howard, Superintendent Leon Campo, Patrick Pizzo, assistant superintendent for business and finance, Anthony Russo, assistant superintendent for personnel and administration, Assemblyman Tom McKevitt, Supervisor Anthony Santino and members of the dinner committee chairs attended the event.

“It was an excellent event,” said Marcee Rubenstein, Board of Education president and Kiwanis Club president-elect. “It’s an event that means a lot to the community and it’s very apparent that the kids enjoy interacting with the seniors. By serving food they realize they’re offering their time to do something wonderful.”

Schiller and Rubenstein said the event was so successful, there was extra food left over by the end of the dinner, which was later donated to St. Raphael’s Church. The dinner was sponsored by the Long Island Muslim Society, OCLI, TD Bank, Bristal and the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce.