“I think it makes our work that much more important,” he said. “Luckily, all of our funding is through private donations. If anything, it’s just another way our community can help give back in a dire time.”
Hamil-Turkey is a project of the Hamilton Amusement and Hospitality Association in response to the support restaurants, bars and recreation businesses received during the pandemic.
“When we got our feet underneath us, we decided to find a way to give back,” he said.
This is Hamil-Turkey’s third year, but in its first year, they helped feed 700 with the support of a half-dozen organizations. Last year, they fed around 5,000 and dozens of organizations backed the mission.
Supporting organizations include the Great Miami Valley YMCA, Booker T. Washington Center, HYPE, Boys and Girls Clubs of Hamilton, the Hamilton YWCA, Hamilton City Schools and SELF.
Marshall High School is another supporter.
The Dixie Highway school opened three years ago, and this is its second year participating in Hamil-Turkey. The high school that has about 350 underprivilege and at-risk students, also has technical education programs, including culinary. They will not only serve as a distribution center for family meal kits, which are pre-packaged boxes that contain a turkey, all sides and cooking utensils. But the school will prepare some of the hot food that will be served at designated locations the week of Thanksgiving.
“We take a little bit of an unorthodox approach to education in that we employ people whose jobs are to remove obstacles that stand in the way of kids’ success,” said Brandi Crim, Marshall’s Student Success coordinator. “Whatever those obstacles are, and we quickly found that one of those was our kids are hungry.”
They expect to prepare around 50 turkeys for the hot buffet meals during the week of Thanksgiving and hand out around 175 to 200 family meal kits.
To sponsor a family meal kit, which will feed a family of four, for $50, or to donate time or money, contact McCleary at Tyler@cohatch.com or 513-504-9167. The goal is to have donations in by Saturday, Nov. 15.
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