According to Ivan Launer, spokesperson of the club, the dinner provided seniors with a Thanksgiving dinner at no expense and an opportunity to get together with friends and acquaintances.
The turkey dinners were prepared by members of the East Meadow Kiwanis Club and East Meadow High School students ‹ members of the school¹s Key Club ‹ who handled gift wrapping, decorations and helped serve the meals. Entertainment was also provided by the East Meadow High School Jazz Ensemble.
The dinners were made possible through funds raised by the Kiwanis Club, which was supplemented with contributions of food and supplies from the assisting student organizations and local businesses ‹ which included Sunrise Assisted Living of East Meadow, Northfork Bank/NY Life, Opthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI) and the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce.
The event was organized by the Kiwanis Club¹s Thanksgiving Dinner Committee co-chaired by Mitchell Allen, Mitchell Skoller, Dr. Frank Saracino and Joan Saracino. The committee was assisted by three youth organizations the club sponsors ‹ the East Meadow and Clarke High School Key Clubs, and the Woodland Middle School Builders Club under the leadership of Sponsored Youth co-chairpersons Mary Mennino and Richard Santer ‹ and East Meadow High School's FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) chapter.
In addition, the East Meadow High School kitchen, custodial and teaching staff donated their time.
Photos by Allison Nichols/Herald
