Hundreds get Thanksgiving meals in Dutchess County

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POUGHKEEPSIE – The legacy of Poughkeepsie community activist John Flowers lives on through his children, son, Frankie and daughter, Yvonne. She also serves as a Poughkeepsie Common Council member.

On a rain-soaked, windy Sunday, hundreds of volunteers gathered in the parking lots of MAG Auto and Darkside Records to assemble meal boxes that included everything needed for a Thanksgiving feast.  The meals were made possible by several generous individual donors and a large number of corporate sponsors that have worked with the Flowers family to live by the words of John Flowers – “It feels good to give.”

Volunteers like State Senator Sue Serino and one of her staffers, Lynne Versaci, joined in the assembly line. “John Flowers would be extremely proud of how Yvonne and Frankie have kept this needed event alive,” said Serino. 

Nina Schutzman and Frankie Flowers braved the weather to get the food to those who needed it.

As the boxes were filled, those seeking meals braved the rain to await their package while additional volunteers loaded boxes into cars to be delivered to those who could not make it to the distribution point. 

Frankie Flowers, in between directing traffic and stuffing boxes, took time to make sure the volunteers and donors were recognized.  “This event has grown tremendously since my father started it years ago. Having organizations like TJ’s Pizza, Emiliano’s, and Duces Restaurant played a huge part in food storage while delivery drivers and helpers, including Total Transportation, made sure that all of the food got delivered.”

Brian Burke and his daughter Kayla picking up turkeys at Stop & Shop on Burnett Blvd.

More than 300 hundred frozen turkeys were handed out, which called for a need to pick up more at local grocery stores.  A school bus driven by Larry Helweg transported volunteers to Stop & Shop on Burnett Boulevard where Store Manager Patrick McKenna helped the volunteers pick up another 50 frozen turkeys at a discounted rate.  “We do anything we can do to help our customers. This is one more opportunity for Stop & Shop to give back to the community that shops here,” said McKenna.

A second turkey run required the Helweg-operated First Student bus to travel to Tops Market, Price Chopper, and the Stop & Shop on South Road to pick up another 40 birds. The second round of birds was paid for by Poughkeepsie native Jeremy Saland, who, with his 12-year-old son Lucas, came up from Chappaqua to help the Flowers family.  Saland is a Town of New Castle town board member and he traveled from Westchester for what he calls “A great way to help out.” Helweg chuckled and called the trip with Saland a first. “I’ve never driven a busload of frozen birds around before.”

Flowers said that by the time deliveries were completed on Sunday night, approximately 550 feasts were delivered to those families that need it most.  “Giving people a chance to have a happy Thanksgiving brings a great sense of inner-joy,” said Flowers.




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