On Nov. 20 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., people of all ages were invited to join Temple Beth Am’s 17th annual “Everything But the Turkey” event. In collaboration with the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Volunteer Center and Repair the World Miami, the goal of the event is to provide food for those with limited access to it. For two hours, volunteers gathered at the temple to assist in a meal kit assembly where they crafted over 400 holiday kits, as well as nonseasonal just-add-water soup packages. Volunteers also prepared high-protein supplemental meals to account for the time when school is closed over the holidays and students may not have access to breakfast or lunch.
In addition to providing meals to those in need, volunteers supplied families with decorated cookies and cards for the holidays as well as a gift card to purchase their own Thanksgiving turkey. The annual event serves as an opportunity for members of the community to come together and spread positivity as well as help those less fortunate around the holidays.
“There’s no better time to give back than the present,” director of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Volunteer Center Lori Tabachnikoff said. “We just love the support of all the volunteers and it’s wonderful to see everybody all together.”
For Miami Palmetto Senior High students, the event acted as an opportunity to collect community service hours, but to fulfill a more generous cause in the spirit of giving around the holidays as well.
“Thanksgiving is not just for people that have the money to afford it. Everyone deserves to at least have one good meal with their family,” sophomore and volunteer Sophia Bueno said.
The Everything But the Turkey Event has also become a place where charitable volunteers can spend time forming bonds and supporting their community.
“All different kinds of people can come together for one cause,” Bueno said.
For the seventeenth time, this yearly event continues to provide people in need with holiday meals and ready-to-help volunteers with a chance to exercise their generosity.
